Shores of Bethseida
by Milante
Summary: Chapter 6, finally! When on a mission to thwart a robbery by Red X, the Titans witness the release of something far bigger than all they've faced before. Begins before Birthmark. RaeOC, eventual RobStar, BB?, Cy? Slight AU
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Don't own Teen Titans. Not rich enough. No sue.

New character I made up based on me.

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Prologue: To Be

What is it to be? Is it the awareness of the self, the ability to string two coherent thoughts together? Or is it something much more?

Some say that it is the ability to think, to know that one exists. But is sentience truly of the mind and body alone, or is there a guiding force? A soul?

The answer, of course, lies within choice. It is what makes us different. Even from a forced choice. Choice is certainly not a trick of chemical reaction, not some cosmic cruel joke. It is a gift. A gift and a curse. For in every choice, there is right and wrong. Especially _the_ choice. The choice that decides ascension or descension. The choice that decides the fate of the other half of being.

The soul.

Our Salvation.


	2. Chapter 1: Rumblings

Chapter 1: Rumblings

-(Robin)-

The morning had been quiet; peaceful in a way only a summer Sunday can be. The birds, as usual, flew their habitual flight, dodging between the trees in a seemingly random pattern while searching for sustenance. Cars could be heard in the distance, and some even passed by on the street once in a while, carrying their occupants to, and occasionally from, work.

_Of course, Red X isn't very caring when it comes to peace,_ Robin thought to himself, grinning humorlessly. _Or anything else that doesn't include himself._ The spandex-wearing boy wonder had received the reports at nearly 6:30 am from the Jump City military base of a break-in. Within ten minutes, Robin had simultaneously awoken all of the Titans and figured out who was behind it.

Darkness still held onto the surrounding landscape, but it was quickly fading, letting go of the last vestiges of nighttime. The eclectic metal and flesh form Cyborg used the fledgling cover of the shadows to begin breaking the lock on the high-tech door. Starfire and Raven were positioned several yards behind him, under the cover of a concealing overhang. Still shaking away the last holdings of sleep, Beast Boy had transformed himself into a platypus, (e/n Wow. Good going Beast Boy. Stealthy… really stealthy… sweat drop) ready to jump into combat mode the moment the door opened.

Robin, clinging to the bottom metal-works of a barred window several feet above the door, could not get over his feelings of anxiety. He was normally concerned whenever Red X was involved in a mission, but now a feeling of foreboding pressed upon his thoughts.

A low clicking noise told Robin that Cyborg had succeeded in disabling the lock. The door slowly ground inward, revealing a hastily evacuated laboratory. Glass littered the floor, electronics sputtered, and a thin mist clung to everything. Cyborg swept his sonic gun around the room, ready to blast to dust anything that moved.

Right on time, a robot, unmistakably a model previously used by Slade, was hit squarely in the chest. It slid down from the dent it had made in the wall, slumping onto the ground. More sparks emitted from a few computers unlucky enough to be caught in the blast.

Robin swung down through the doorway, assessing the situation. After finding the room empty, he signaled the rest of the Titans to join him in the room.

"Alright, team, fan out. Red X is somewhere in this building, and I don't intend to let him leave."

Beast Boy rose from the ground next to Robin. "What's he here for?" he asked, curious.

"I'm not exactly sure," Robin replied in a hushed tone. "The message that I read said that Red X would probably go after the item that they were researching, but the only description of it they gave me was... well, vague. 'Small, in a glass case filled with sensors' is about the most descriptive they got."

One of Beast Boy's eyebrows rose at this, but he simply morphed into a bat and flew down a side hall. "Betcha I find it first!" he challenged as he flew off.

Cyborg ran off after him, quietly muttering, "Oh, we're gonna see about that..." The rest of the Titans quickly dispersed towards the various doors and hallways branching off from the main room.

-(Red X)-

Ignoring the Titans as they fanned out in the rooms behind him, Red X made his way through the final set of still-smoking security doors. Ever on alert, he slowly entered the room housing the over-decorated object sitting within the sensor-laden glass box in the middle of the floor. Taking his time, he lifted the glass and released the latches holding the object in place.

No larger than a normal man's forearm, the ancient gold-engraved statue looked out of place in the modern research chamber. Its apparent age made it also look harmless, only of monetary value. But Red X had heard of its importance. The statue was said to contain an ancient demon, and although he was not superstitious, Red X also knew that the researchers at the base had found that it did contain an extraordinary amount of power.

_If nothing else, it will do as a power supply_, he thought to himself. _Which, of course, I _really_ need right now._ His eyes narrowed suddenly. _But what's this?_ _It certainly looks out of place on a priceless statue such as this..._ Red X referred to the small silver cross adorning the base of the statue. It was the only hint of silver on the entire statue, and looked hastily added on, jagged and unappealing, throwing off the obvious workmanship of the sculpture.

Rubbing with his thumb, Red X began to remove the mark from the work of art.

-(Raven)-

It hit Raven then, the pervading aura of evil. She fell from where she had been floating, landing roughly on her feet. Although her own powers could not be said to be of heavenly origins, the power she was sensing could only be described as purely malevolent.

Raven glanced over to Starfire, who had ended up in the same room. That was when her insides sank. _Starfire can feel it too..._ Starfire had paled considerably, and was clutching her stomach. _Whatever it is, if it can penetrate her_ _naïveté, it has to be either really powerful, or really evil. Or both..._

Suddenly, the entire building began to shake. Computers crashed to the floor along with pieces of the ceiling. Powerful tremors ran through the floor, jolting both girls onto the ground. Raven quickly scrambled to her feet as Starfire floated up.

"We must find our friends! This building of research is beginning to feel... unstable, Raven!"

Raven suppressed a sarcastic comment before it could voice itself to Starfire, who would most likely misunderstand it. Instead, she began to blast through the ceiling, redirecting the fracturing segments away from themselves.

"I'll find the others. You keep watch from above," Raven said, her voice betraying worry, an emotion almost unheard of in her voice. She quickly teleported herself into the room that the other three Titans had ended up in and performed the same trick with the ceiling as she had moments before. Beast Boy flew out as a green hawk, while Starfire swooped in and grabbed Robin. Cyborg was lifted out shortly after by a now-straining Raven. From the air, the heroes watched as the building they had just evacuated shook itself clean apart.

Strangely, the buildings around it seemed untouched by the seismic events emitting from the lab. Also, it seemed a great deal darker outside than when the Titans had entered the lab, but only in the area within about one hundred feet of the building. Everything else was already being bathed in the pre-dawn light.

The lab quickly shook itself apart, revealing an injured Red X lying against a torn yet standing wall. Before him was a man, standing an eerie seven feet tall. His clothing consisted of a mid-sized black trench coat adorned with chains and blood-red runes. His lean face ended in a sharply pointed chin. His eyes were held gaunt, ever calculating. The color, a stomach-wrenching light purple, did not help the image. _This man is evil... No, more than evil... More so than any villain we have faced before..._

Twisting her head to the side, Raven caught the attention of Robin. He nodded to her. He could feel it too.

Without warning, three F-16 fighter jets shot past the area, kicking up yet more dust from the fallen lab. _The military must have scrambled them..._ The evil man looked slowly up and smirked wickedly. He raised his hand, emitting a purple flash towards the nearest jet that had just circled back around. The flash connected with the jet...

And promptly exploded.

The Titans, blinded by the incandescent blast erupting from the fighter, shielded their eyes. Debris fell in a lazy arc from the explosion, but the pilot remained suspended in the air. The evil man, still with his hand raised, pointed at the man and made a pulling gesture. A purple, shapeless form erupted from the man's now lifeless body; it traveled quickly to the new villain clad in black, absorbing into his awaiting hand. His grin widened to show at least 8 pointed teeth among his perfectly straight normal ones. Now using both hands, he prepared to do the same to the unfortunate pilot's wing mates.

Robin was the first to break through the team's collective initial shock. "Titans! Go!" came his familiar battle call, and the Titans broke into action. Raven let Cyborg down onto a rooftop, where he immediately began to let loose with his sonic cannon. Starfire unleashed several starbolts with one hand, while using the other to hold up Robin while he pummeled the area with explosive disks. Raven began picking up large pieces of loose debris, launching them towards the new villain. Beast Boy was the only one holding back, the only one without any projectile attacks, and the only one sure to get immolated in all the cross-fire.

From her aerial vantage point, Raven could make out two things happening within the raging fire that was now erupting from all the activity. First, Red X was making his escape, limping his way to a clean getaway. Second, a purple orb had begun to appear within the smoke and fire. After becoming large enough to be able to envelop their new foe, it began expanding at an alarming rate.

"Titans! Take evasi––!" The wall of purple energy hit all of the Titans nearly at once; sending them flying into various walls and fences. Raven flew through a chain-link fence marking the end of the military base, landing on the other side of the four-lane street in front of a modestly sized church. _Hmmm. How ironic..._ she thought to herself, _a Goth like me landing in a place like this..._

Beast Boy came running up to her side, offering her a hand. She brushed it away, picking herself up. Looking around, Raven could see several people standing around the entrance to the church watching the battle going on over the base with much interest.

"Beast Boy, we have to get these people behind cover. It's not safe out..." Raven was cut off as a purple energy bolt connected with her chest, sending her cart wheeling into Beast Boy, then into a wall. Beast Boy, of course, took the full brunt of the collision with the wall, and as Raven pushed herself off, Beast Boy fell lazily out of the small hole ironically shaped in his likeness. His eyes spun as an oversized bump appeared on his head.

"Really, now... I didn't know buses... came in... purple..." Beast Boy rambled deliriously, swaying around like a drunk with swirls in his eyes. Raven, though, wasn't doing so well. A burn mark had appeared on her uniform, causing her to tremble from the pain. Her entire body ached, and a strange itchiness coursed across her skin. _Strange... I'm hurt this badly, and yet I can still feel... the... itch..._

-(Beast Boy)-

Beast Boy finally snapped out of his dizzy ramblings when he saw Raven pass out on the ground. Kneeling next to her, he checked for a pulse and found it. She'd probably be up in a few moments by herself. Sighing in relief, he looked up to where the villain was hovering.

"Really, mortal. Even after what I have just done, you wish to challenge me? It seems you have not a care for your own life." He smiled nonchalantly. "I'm sorry. I seem to have forgotten my manners. My name is Cainis. And yours?"

Beast Boy growled in reply. He jumped at Cainis, turning into a wolf mid-air, and attacked. Cainis nonchalantly batted the green canine away with one backhanded swipe.

Beast Boy could hear the screeching tires before he ever saw the car. It swerved out of the way to avoid hitting him at the last second, but did not get far. A muffled explosion reached Beast Boy's ears as a black SUV flipped over his head, baring a gaping hole near the front. It had saved Beast Boy's life, at the expense of its drivers. Beast Boy looked past the carnage to see a slightly annoyed Cainis focusing another bolt. Beast boy scrambled backwards, awaiting the next blast that would surely end his life. It never came. Instead, a light blue beam shot over the wrecked car and knocked Cainis clean out of the air. Starbolts flew past shortly after.

Cyborg ran to Beast Boy's side, helping him up. "There's someone still in that car, BB. Get 'em out! I'll take on pretty boy..." At this, Cyborg ran off towards the villain, recharging his gun for another shot. Beast Boy scrambled up and over the capsized vehicle to where he heard a pounding on the window. A thin layer of blood coated the inside of the glass, but Beast Boy could still see a teenager trying to break through the jammed door. Using his gorilla form, Beast Boy tore the door from its hinges, then grabbed the boy out of the car. Blood caked the right side of his head, mixing in with his not-quite shoulder-length dark brown hair.

As soon as he was free, the boy turned to his rescuer. His dark green eyes were wide, a look of startled sorrow painting his features. Beast Boy put an arm around the survivor and began to carry him away from the wreckage, when he suddenly broke free and ran back to the car. "My bag!" he yelled, stark illogical panic in his voice. He grabbed onto a slightly torn leather strap just as Beast Boy got a good grip on him. Pulling away from the destroyed car, Beast Boy carried him to the other side of the street. As soon as he set the boy down, Beast Boy turned back to fight.

"What about my family?" the teenager asked.

Beast Boy fought for the right thing to say. The only thing he could do, though, was point to the hole in the front of the now-burning car. Disbelief flashed on the teenager's face, questions leapt to his tongue. But Beast Boy had already run off toward Cainis, who had just levitated Cyborg and smashed him into the ground.

-(Michael)-

_They're gone... In an instant... gone..._ Despair flooded Michael's mind as he stared at his family's car, at the non-existent front end, at the non-existent driver and front passenger seats, and at his parents that also... no longer existed on Earth. Tears came to his eyes, tears of rage. He had seen the blast coming, had time to see the man who threw death. His mind was alive with activity, and dust around him began to swirl. _Your word warns against magic, Lord... But, here is a need! __ Let me use it, Lord! Let me!_

Tears continued to pour across Michael's cheeks; dripping to the ground and staining the concrete. Dripping onto the cross hanging around his neck. The dust around him now swirled in a circle, unnoticed. Suddenly, something seemed to snap loose inside Michael's mind, as another slipped and clicked easily into place. What was once a forbidden darkness became an inviting light, and the power that had once been demonic took form in his mind as something new.

This was all Michael needed. He let free the energy pent up inside of him, firing a white psychic missile, crackling and shimmering dangerously. It flew over the head of the unconscious cloaked girl, slamming hard into Cainis' body. Smoke spread out in a lazy cross shape dramatically over the point of impact. Cainis was thrown through the air at an incredible speed, smacking straight into the center of the cross on the church lawn. Plumes of white smoke emitted from Cainis' back as he slid down the 14-foot tall steel crucifix. He let out a cry of anguish the entire way down.

Michael ducked down as Cainis threw a bolt in answer. Grabbing his bag, he began unzipping even as he rolled to avoid a second blast. By the time the third blast had reduced the light pole behind him into molten metal, Michael had pulled out the contents of the bag: A long, silvery grey sword with chains where the hilt should have been, and a jewel with a cross inside that always had the top pointed up. He parried several more blasts, ricocheting them off the long, thin blade into the air somewhat clumsily.

Cainis soon grew tired of this. Drawing his own sinisterly curved blade, he charged Michael. Before he could get more than thirty feet, a bus surrounded by a shadowy energy collided with him. Starbolts followed, along with yet another blast from Cyborg's sonic cannon.

All this seemed to not even faze Cainis, though, as he let loose with several rapid-fire blasts that connected with Starfire, Raven, and Cyborg. One blast missed, though, and shot straight towards the church. Without even blinking, Michael attempted to raise a psychic force field around the entrance, and the blast was held at bay. Throwing everything he had at it, Michael tried to turn it away, but he was too far.

As his field fell, though, something strange happened. The purple bolt of death came within feet of the church wall, but then bent completely around it, as if he were looking at it through a rounded clear glass. It shot past the other side, careening into a parked RV.

His focus broken, Michael was an easy target. A tendril of dark purple energy slapped the wounded side of his head, grazing up his left arm and splashing the ground with a modest portion of blood. Michael looked startled and pained at the same time as his body followed the impact, twirling up into the air then slamming into the ground. As darkness consumed his vision, he saw the faint form of Cainis, scowling at the thorns in his side, disappeared beneath a black cloud, ominous as well as evil. Then all was dark.


	3. Chapter 2: Awakening

Chapter 2: Awakening

-(Michael)-

At first, awareness only took notice of a faint light, blunted from behind loose flaps of skin. Memories assaulted this drowsy mind, still fighting to keep shut away the outside world. Emotions welled up within, but were pushed away. Sadness, shock, rage, all locked away until later. The mind knew that now was not the time to deal with these.

Signals reached nearly numb limbs, assessing damage. Electricity coursed across sore nerves, causing achy muscles to tense up. Blood began pumping harder through the body as more and more awoke. Finally, with a grunt of effort, previously concealed eyes surfaced from behind the eyelids. The light, although harsh to the still-pained body of Michael, was actually very dim. Artificial in origin, the light revealed a room suited for medical purposes.

_And is obviously being used for that right now..._ Michael thought dryly. Waves of nausea rippled throughout his body as he attempted to sit up. After three tries, he was able to prop himself up against the back of the bed using his pillow. From his new vantage point, IVs became visible leading into his bandaged left arm. Reaching up with his right, Michael felt around the pounding area of his head and found bandages covering the top right side of his head. Tiny spots of dried blood caked a small part of the bandage, and upon placing pressure, Michael found that the bleeding had stopped in that particular injury.

A blue light began blinking on the console next to his bed, and a slightly yellow-tinged clear liquid flooded through the IVs. Strength slowly began to build up inside his body. _Ugh... I guess it's lunchtime for me..._

Looking over himself again, Michael spotted the familiar scars on his body. Course lines dotted his upper arms, as well as across his chest. Now indecipherable, they had once displayed runes.

Michael's now alert brain turned from inside to out, and sensed someone coming. A door whooshed open across the room from the right side of the patient's bed, letting Cyborg through. Michael's eyes perked farther open with interest. Random images flooded his mind, but he still had no clue as to how he had gotten here. Seeing Cyborg, one of the heroes who guarded the city, simply confused him more.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, man," Cyborg greeted. Michael stared in reply, not sure how to respond. He continued softly, "You were out for three days. Had a concussion or two."

"What... What happened?" Michael asked, unconsciously brushing the side of his head.

"You took a hit to the head from that Cainis guy. Hit you pretty hard. Don't know how, but you cracked the concrete when you hit."

Michael's face scrunched further in confusion. Apparently, Cyborg must have misunderstood. "Cainis? What are you talking about?"

Cyborg's face fell. "Oh. So you don't remember, huh?" Taking the question as rhetorical, Michael remained silent. Cyborg explained, but now with much less enthusiasm.

"Well... We... The Teen Titans and I... were sent out to stop Red X from robbin' some military research base. But before we could get to him, some kinda earthquake hit the place that we just happened to be, and that guy Cainis appeared.

"We started fighting him and all, but then... Well, Beast Boy got knocked into the street. Right in front of... your... car..." Cyborg stopped as realization dawned on Michael.

Everything came back, a now complete vision hitting him all at once. The screeching tires, the wolf in the road that suddenly turned into a person, then the bright flash... It was all too much. Salt water filled the fully widened eyes of the now-orphaned teen. Numb fingers made a deathgrip upon the soft mattress as mild tremors shook through his body.

Cyborg, not knowing what to say, just stood silent, nervously glancing around. Michael lay there fighting for composure through his struggles against tears. After three minutes, Michael's shoulders slumped. "Where am I?" he asked hoarsely.

"In the Titan Tower. Robin said you can stay as long as you need. He... has a couple questions for you."

Looking up to reply, Michael noticed a girl standing just outside the doorway, wearing a dark blue robe. _How long has she been there?_ Michael thought to himself. Shaking his head, Michael replied to Cyborg. "I... I can answer the questions." He belatedly realized she was Raven.

Cyborg grinned slightly, but shook his head. "Naw, not right now. You should get some rest. You came outta that fight pretty good, but you still got banged up. We'll check back with you in a couple hours."

Wiping away some gathered liquid just beneath his eye, Michael repositioned himself on the bed in answer. Pulling the thin hospital style blanket up, he turned away from Cyborg and the world. Dreamless sleep quickly took him as he gave up consciousness.

-(Raven)-

"Poor guy... Wish there was somethin' I coulda said." Cyborg turned slowly from the door to the computer console, resetting it to alert him once more when the teen woke up again. "I really don't want to have to do that again..." Raven followed him down the hall out of the medical portion of the Tower. "He was really ready to answer those questions, wasn't he?"

"Sounded more like he just wanted his mind off what happened," Raven answered distractedly.

"He seemed ready to me."

"Maybe."

"And what about how fast he recovered? Last I checked, you were the only one in Jump City who could heal that fast."

"Weirder things have happened." Raven's eyes narrowed imperceptibly.

The two reached the elevator. Without another word, Raven turned down another hallway into her room, leaving a puzzled Cyborg behind. Once through her door, she walked towards the book podium in the center of her room. As usual when she was researching, books covered the floor, piled in twos and threes around the podium. One book lay open upon the top of the podium, a feather left as a bookmark on the open page.

Turning the page, Raven renewed her search. Ever since the burn had healed two days ago, she had been poring over her books, searching for the reason why the name Cainis sounded so familiar. She had searched completely through her books on sorcerers, had exhausted her supply of books on medieval wizards, and was now looking through a reference book on demons (a/n: because you just know it would be in her personal library). Nothing had yet come up, but the nagging feeling stayed with her. Not to mention the endless questions of where Michael had gotten the scars on his arms and chest.

Robin, she knew, was also researching this 'Cainis'. But instead of looking to the past, he was trying to pinpoint exactly where the man was. His usual fervor was present, as he was rarely seen outside his room. He had actually told off Starfire at one point, causing Raven to have to take the time to calm her friend down and reassure her that Robin was just under a lot of stress. _I'm going to force one of them to kiss the other one of these days._ It used to get on her nerves at all times when the two would flirt, but now Raven just found it annoying that they wouldn't tell each other how they felt. _Robin's always just too busy, though, and Starfire is just too... Starfire._ There really weren't words to describe the degree of Starfire's innocence, but at least it came across as refreshing once in a while.

Raven's thoughts silenced, though, as she turned the page once more. _Hm... Success._

-(Robin)-

A faint metal rapping on the door prompted Robin away from his computer. After carefully closing down his work, he called for the visitors to come in. The door, as usual an automated sliding one, whooshed open. Cyborg came through first, followed slowly by Michael, supported by a crutch. His bandages, freshly changed, showed no sign of the blood loss of three days past, but his eyes were terrible: red-rimmed and hollow. Hobbling slowly towards the chair occupying the space next to the computer desk, Michael nodded his head in greeting.

As soon as his guest was seated, Cyborg waved and said, "Don't push him too hard. He just got to walkin' a few minutes ago." After Robin nodded, Cyborg took his leave. After a moment of awkward silence, Michael spoke.

"Were there any remains?" Robin stared at the floor for a moment more, then looked up and answered.

"Not much, I'm afraid. If you want, I can have some kind of service scheduled."

"Please," Michael said. The two began another staring match with the floor.

"So..." Michael began, "I hear you had something to ask me?"

"Yeah, I do. You don't have to answer anything now, but I would like to know at some point."

"Yeah?" Impatience could be detected in his voice, and the way he rubbed his head indicated he probably had a headache.

"Well... first off I'd like to ask you if you have any information on this Cainis guy?" After the stretch of silence, Robin was down to business.

"The name sounds... well, just familiar." Michael looked down to think. "Has he been seen since... When was it again?"

"Three days ago? Haven't heard a whisper about him. Wherever he went, he covered his tracks very well."

"Really? Nothing? I would have thought someone like that would have immediately started killing people. At least… That's what I'd think of him. He didn't seem to care at all about my church that was almost hit."

"I've been thinking the same thing. But that leads me to my next question. What exactly is it that you can do?" A quizzical look passed over Michael's features, then one of reluctance.

"What I can do... Well, like you saw, I have some semblence of a visible telekinesis. Technically... I'm not supposed to use it without permission. I believe that it is based somewhere within the frontal lobe. At least, thats the part that I feel the strain the most when I use this power." He ended his sentence with a weak cough.

"What about the sword? Cyborg found that it had some... weird powers, to say the least."

Despite his current downtrodden mood, Michael's lips turned upwards ever so slightly. "He didn't try to use it, did he?"

"Yes, he did. Or at least he tried. He said that the thing weighed in at about seven pounds when we carried it in your bag, but when he tried to pick it up and use it, it registered to something like seven _tons_." Michael's grin widened.

"I expect that happened. The sword only allows... certain people to handle it for its intended purpose." When Robin simply stared expectantly, Michael continued. "It only allows believers in Christ to handle it."

_Well, that's certainly not what I expected,_ Robin thought to himself. He knew his eyes probably registered the shock he was feeling, which explained the way Michael sat back in his chair, arms crossed. He was most likely expecting disbelief towards his comment.

So he did the opposite. "Alright. I've heard stranger. Where did you get the sword?"

A look of mild surprise flashed across Michael's face, but it quickly subsided. "That... I'd rather not tell. Not now. I will say, though, that it is blessed." Michael sighed, but again continued when Robin was silent. "It will not kill if the user does not wish it to, and it is light as a feather to a believer."

"Hmmm..." Robin sat back, this time in deep thought. This guy was definitely out of the ordinary. Even after the last questions, Robin didn't really know much about him. Of course, that did also hold true with what he knew of Raven, or of Beast Boy's past, which wasn't much at all. "Well, I guess that's all I have to ask you right now. Because of the situation, I'm going to let you stay here in the tower. Also, I wanted to know if maybe you'd want to go with us on a mission at some point."

Michael's mouth smiled, but his eyes failed to follow suit. "Now why would you let me do that?"

"Do you know who Raven is?"

Michael sat forward again, forehead scrunching in mock thought. "Lemme think. Yes."

Robin nodded, ignoring the horrible attempt at sarcasm. "Her powers allow her to feel the aura of a person. She said that she felt a strange power about you. Because of your help with the Cainis situation, I thought it would be appropriate to... see what you can do. That is, of course, only if you want to."

Sitting back once more, Michael nodded slowly. A tinge of sorrow touched his thoughtful expression, and Robin felt a pang of sympathy for him. "Alright. I'll do it. But obviously... well, not at the moment." The empty smile reappeared.

"I could have guessed that," Robin said, grinning. "But, hey. If you ever need to talk about anything, I'm sure any of the Titans would have no problem with listening. Have you met all of us yet?"

"I think so."

"Well, I guess that's it then. If you want to talk about anything, I have a few minutes right now. Otherwise..."

Michael stood up as quickly as his injuries would allow him. "No, I'll be fine right now. I need to deal with this in my own way. Thanks, though... for the offer. I might take you up on that later."

Robin smiled. "I guess I'll see you later, then. Get some rest. You look like you could use it."

Michael took the joke in stride, grinning politely. A thought occured to Robin. "Have you met Starfire yet?"

Michael turned back to Robin, one eyebrow slightly raised in mild confusion. "Yeah. A bit too cheery for me right now, but at least just meeting her was... uplifting."

Robin chuckled softly. "I thought it might be. Get well."

"I will."

-(Raven)-

_A demon, hmm?_ Raven hovered gently over the floor, meditating on her newly found information. _The name fits... means "of sin", or at least something close to that. _Memory jogged by the information supplied in the reference, Raven tried to conjure up the image of him in her mind.

Along with inheriting some of her father's powers, Raven had also been cursed with a few of his memories, bled through into her mind. Mostly vague and cluttered, these memories were more of a burden than were normally any assistance, except for now. Her father had borne witness to the capture of this demon by a paladin, apparently a very faithful one. The paladin had imprisoned the demon within a gold embossed statuette, and sealed it with a cross. Some prophecy or such had come out of the whole event, saying that it would be freed again, somehow to the betterment of the world. _And how many of these prophecies ever come to point? _Other than that, though, she could remember nothing else of him.

Concentrating, Raven began the arduous task of locating Cainis. Using the faint memory of the event from Trigon, she tried to pinpoint his aura over the crowd of souls inhabiting Jump City. The world spun around her as time became irrelevant. Visions flew past her eyelids, glimpses of the past, present, and future. Focusing more, suppressing her emotions, all but eliminating her self, Raven found the images flowing at a much slower rate. Using all the power her physical mind could muster, Raven filtered out all images not pertaining to her search. Soon, Raven had locked down the general location of Cainis. Warehouses stood tall around the black-cloaked figure of the evil entity, shadows falling and all but covering the lifeless bodies of several victims. Blood stained a sword stuck into the ground next to Cainis.

Eyes snapping open, Raven wasted no time in landing to walk. Flying through her door, pausing only for a moment in surprise of the time (it was now quite late) Raven headed straight for Robin's room. Her thoughts were dashed, though, when the alarm suddenly went off.

-(Michael)-

Sleep. Recover. Fight. Pray. These thoughts fired continuously on through Michael's brain. Depression threatened to consume him, darken and squander his soul. Bouts of violent thought broke up the monotony of sorrow. Then, at the end of the cycle, a strange peace would preside over him. An empty, blank, numb nothingness. A place of reflection and prayer.

Having been through this cycle at least twice, Michael had finally decided to get up and do something. Walking (or at least limping) to the weight room with his bag, Michael took his shirt off and relieved himself of the bandage wrapping his arm. Freshly healed skin covered a shallow scar down the side of his arm, continuing up to his shoulder and coming to an end at the base of the neck. Next came the bandage around his head. Looking into a wall-length mirror, he examined the damage. Some missing hair that had begun to grow back, but otherwise he was no worse for the wear.

Smiling sadly, Michael sat down and began again to pray. His murmured speech seemed to reach all corners of the room, ricocheting and echoing faintly along the walls. After several minutes of stumbling for words, he again stood. Extracting his sword from his now-weathered leather bag, he gracefully swung the blade around through the air. Eyes closed, he let go and allowed himself to move freely without sight. Although crowded, not one piece of equipment was harmed. Sometimes millimeters away, the razor-sharp blade never so much as scratched the floor. Minutes passed as sore muscles ebbing with pain stretched themselves and tendons loosened. Warmth flooded his heart as he let God embrace his body. After seven minutes, Michael stopped and sat. Setting his sword down, he touched the now glowing emerald-green stone in the center of the chain-hilt.

Michael knew that he had to fight against the depression that threatened to overwhelm him every moment. He had known sorrow before, had had friends die. Always, his faith gave him the strength to move on. It would now, as well, but he knew it would take time. Besides, he had other things to think about. Such as stopping Cainis from what he was prophesized to try.

Picking the weapon back up, Michael again practiced his sword.

-(Red X)-

Watching the newcomer, Red X's interest grew by the second. His swordsmanship was excellent, concentration flawless. And even overlooking those traits, there was the fact that after only 3 days, he was already nearly healed. Red X's right hand reached up to his left ribs, where one had in fact been broken.

Smiling underneath his mask, the egotistical thief began to pace in his newly-built lair. Coming to a rest on a stone-carved chair marked with red Xs, Red X began to plot. It seemed that this new team member had witnessed his parents' death. _This could most definitely be used to my advantage..._

Suddenly, and without any warning at all, the sword slipped from Michael's hand. The sword quickly made up the distance from floor-level to the camera. Static filled the screen. Frowning, Red X set the computer unit to monitor all the other two cameras he had been able to hack into. Although not in that exact room, Red X could wait until Michael moved into a room with a camera to observe him.

-(Michael)-

Standing there with his hands still in the position where the sword had left them, Michael blinked at the cleanly-sliced camera. Looking nervously left, then right, he walked over to the corner of the room. The sword was at least thirty feet into the air, embedded deep into the wall. _Oh, this'll be fun to explain. 'Well, I was hobbling along through the weight room, and I accidentally _chucked_ the sword at the camera.' Wow. They'll believe that one..._ Thoughts of _I'm screwed_ and _Wonder where they keep the plaster?_ flew through his mind as he crouched down for a jump impossible for a normal human being. Gathering into him the power siphoned from the sword, he leapt a clean 35 feet into the air, bumped his head on the ceiling, and grabbed the sword's handle on the way down. Eyes still spinning, he tried to imagine what it would be like if any of the Titans happened to walk in right at that moment.

Simply hanging there with nothing to do, Michael's thoughts wandered. In his mind, the picture formed of the origin of his powers.

(a/n: Warning: long and involved flashback. Do not read without sufficient snacks and/or flames)

_He looked into the mirror. A young man of 14 stared back with empty eyes. Black was the most prominent color of choice for his wardrobe, and he was covered in it today. Turning the water in the sink off, Michael walked out of the bathroom and into his High School. Whenever he glanced at someone, he saw more than their physical being. He saw their soul. He had ever since he had joined the Cult. They had given him this and many more powers several months before._

_Ever since he had joined, his mission had always been to turn humanity away from God. He was desperate to succeed, to be accepted. But there was always the quiet nagging within him, the little voice in his ear that said, "Turn away."_

(a/n: Okay, so not that long. But now you have snacks!)

A single tear slid down Michael's cheek. With a mighty tug, he pulled the sword out of the wall. Landing heavily on his feet and one arm, Michael retrieved the sheath.

_He never used his power where others could see it. He quietly stole away those who were interested in the Christian faith, or those who even had a chance at looking in that direction, turning them away from the truth. A burning sense of malice always churned within him, a monster in itself fed by lies and pain. He wanted more. More would make them accept him for who he was. More would fix all his problems, burning away his pain, along with the people who hurt him._

Reapplying the bandages, he began anew his facade of injury. Hopefully, Cyborg wouldn't scan him until it was the right time, when Michael knew he was ready. He'd have to trust God on that one.

_Not necessarily of the Cult, Kayt had seemed perfect from the beginning. She was wiccan, and not one of much power. Michael chose to be with her. He lead her ever closer to the Cult, hoping to one day persuade her to join. At the same time, he enjoyed the sin she represented. She was a symbol of his free being. She was lost._

Tears poured slowly down his face now, but his expression was stony. The memory had to run it's course. That was part of his healing process, no matter how much pain was involved.

_Eventually, Michael was given a sword. It glowed with a very dull crimson light, that ebony blade. It held a blackened ruby in it's hilt. It was called Cressinal by some ancient and evil language that the Cult studied. _

_The masters of the Cult saw in their visions that a great battle was coming. They were preparing their students for this. But Michael never was a part of it. The night before this pivotal event, Kayt left him, searching for a new flavor. His already waning soul crushed, he again felt lost and confused, dejected. He drove Cressinal into the wall of his room in anger and sadness. He was seconds from suicide, from slashing his arms upon the beckoning edges of Cressinal, when he spotted the book._

_Lying perfectly upon the ruined pages of his other books, torn apart in his rage, was the one that told the Truth. All anger, all sadness, all negative emotion stopped as if damned inside him. His breath caught within him. "_Are you ready to learn?"_ a voice asked. Spinning around, Michael saw the being that helped to change his life that night. An angel stood in front of him, bathed in a steady flow of bright, yet soft, light. His robes bulged with light armor beneath, and a golden bladed sword extended from his gauntlets. _

"What... What do you want me to... to do?" _Michael asked the angel. Golden red locks of hair fluttered to an invisible wind. _

"Listen."

_Puzzlement played across Michael's face. He wiped the tears from his face, and the angel began his speech._

Wiping his eyes, Michael lifted himself from the padded weight-lifting bench. Smiling without a trace of sorrow for the first time in three days, Michael enjoyed the joy that night had allowed him. It left a lasting residue that, even in this darkest of moments, he could draw upon briefly. Leaving the room in a gait that bespoke a mended confidence, Michael bumped straight into Cyborg.

"Hey! Feelin' a bit better, are we?" Michael's face paled considerably.

_Well, so much for keeping my recovery a secret..._


	4. Chapter 3: Explanations

A/N: Razic is the language that the Cult speaks, just so you know when you get to the part mentioning it. It will be called this until the language written onto Raven in Birthmark is named in the series.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 3: Explanations

-(Michael)-

He had always found group speaking slightly unpleasant. Speaking projects in school would make him nervous sometimes. But compared to his current confrontation those were nothing.

"Healed? Uh… Why would you say that?"

"Uh-uh. When I checked you last night, you couldn't walk without a limp. You just came running down the hallway."

_Crap…_

Looking beyond Cyborg, Michael's discomfort was intensified. Seeing the other four Titans behind Cyborg was definitely not helping. Robin stared at him questioningly. Raven and Beast Boy were shaking their heads. Starfire was looking… disapproving, but in an innocent way.

Glancing around once more at the group, Michael broke the silence. "Heh. Guess I have a bit of explaining to do, don't I?"

-(Raven)-

"Well, yes, healing is included with my other powers. I can achieve full health rather quickly," Michael explained to the grouped Titans. After bumping into Cyborg in the hallway, the team and Michael had retreated to the common room for his explanation. He had filled the entire group in on what he had told Robin, and was now continuing with a list of more specific powers. "Flight is also something I can achieve, but it can wear me out pretty quickly. To sum everything up, really, my powers are a lot like hers, only a bit more specialized towards combat."

Raven looked up to see Michael pointing towards her. Her face did not betray a hint of the indignation she felt at being pointed to, nor did it show the perplexity she felt. _His powers like mine? Interesting…_ She stared at him thoughtfully, mentally re-evaluating him.

"Actually, our powers could very well stem from the same techniques. I just have… permission from the top floor to use them." Michael smiled at his own wit.

This time, Raven's eyes narrowed. "Permission? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, the Bible states that magical powers are sinful, because they are normally demonic in nature. Therefore, explicit permission would be needed to use them, would it not? That is what I have. Permission."

Would it have been possible to close her eyes and still glare at Michael, she would have done it. "You actually believe that collection of trash?"

Pure shock registered on Michael's face. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then shut it. Raven watched as the familiar battle to control one's anger played itself out within Michael. Looking down for a moment, then up again, Michael finally found the words he was looking for. "I can't say I'm surprised to hear you say that. I ask, though, that you not repeat that around me. After seeing what I have seen in life, there is no denying the truth of the Bible."

Clearly not finished, Raven continued. "So you're saying that an angel has come straight out of the blue and smacked you in the face?"

This only brought a small smile to Michael's face. "You could say that."

This definitely cut off her next remark. _Who is this guy?_ she asked herself. For the next few minutes of conversation, Raven excluded herself from all but listening. Mulling over his last comment, Raven could not decide on what the strange boy had meant. For the second time in two days, Raven found herself looking over what she knew of him. She took in his appearance first, to look for any obvious details. His hair was a natural dark brown, long but brushed back to appear short with a part, running down the sides of his face to about ear level in front.. His eyes were even darker green, almost black. His cheekbones were just short of being high and angular, and his cheeks curved gently down to a slightly prominent chin. His attire consisted of the white tank top Beast Boy had loaned him, as well as the khaki pants he had worn on the day Cainis had appeared.

Michael stopped speaking when he noticed Raven studying him. He raised one eyebrow, then turned back to the conversation. _Idiot. He probably thinks I was checking him out._

-(Michael)-

_Was she just checking me out?_ Michael thought to himself. Shrugging it off, Michael turned back to Robin, finishing off the details of his abilities. "Altogether, the reason I wanted you to think I was still injured was so that I could train my powers more. I haven't actually used them in about a year and a half."

Robin, one hand resting on his chin thoughtfully, finally came up with a response. "Well, it would have been nice if you had told us this sooner. We could have helped you some. Maybe even brought you with us last night."

Confusion entered Michael's brain. "Last night? You mean you guys weren't here that entire time?"

"No, we left when you were asleep. We've been out all night."

"Was it Cainis?"

"We think it was. Or at least Raven does. All we found when we arrived at the scene were about fifteen or so bodies, and what looked like several blade marks in the solid concrete."

Raven brought herself back into the discussion. "Exactly as it was in my vision."

Michael turned to her, asking immediately, "Vision? What happened?"

Clearly, Raven still did not want to speak to him, but she told him of the fleeting image she had received while meditating. "Now was anything too offensive about that?"

"Lots," Michael said with narrowed eyes, brushing her off. "Well, I guess this means I have to tell you more about me."

Robin looked disbelievingly at Michael. "There's more you're holding back?"

"There's a lot I'm holding back, but it's mostly my past for right now. Actually, what I'm about to tell you is a prophecy which... er... might include Cainis." He paused for a moment to gauge the others reactions. All appearing curious, he continued. "The prophecy, from what I remember, says that Cainis will return from his earthly prison to help bring back a certain demon, as well as a group following this demon called 'The Cult'." Again he paused.

"'_The_' Cult? That sounds kind of presumptuous to call yourself something like that," Robin said.

"Well, if anything, they earned it. They were powerful about three years ago, before they… were crippled."

Robin lifted his eyebrow. "Holding back more?"

"Well, yeah. It includes a piece of my past I'd just as well forget." Michael quickly pressed on before Robin could reply. "Anyway, with Cainis' and another assistant's power, the Cult would be able to literally open a small hole, possibly a dimensional rift or something akin, in the barrier around our plane of existence. This would effectively release a small portion of the demons in hell, as well as a very powerful arch-demon."

"Needless to say, not a good situation," Cyborg understated.

"Yeah, pretty much."

Robin leaned back in the couch, obviously coming to some sort of decision. "I guess that settles it then. You obviously have some talents the team could use, and pending the testing of those talents, I think we can say you're part of the team, at least for now."

This definitely surprised Michael. His head shot slightly backwards, and his eyes widened considerably. "Hm. Didn't expect _that_."

"Well, we could certainly use someone who knows at least a little about our newest foe. It's also the least we could do after the incident."

_Well, I had been doing well…_ Michael's smile turned sour at the mention of his parents' death. After a brief silence, he said, "That reminds me." He might as well have added 'stupid.' "When can I go to my house and pick up some stuff?"

Robin instantly realized his mistake. "Uh… well, whenever you want. I'm sure that Cyborg would be more than happy to drive you over there right now if you wanted."

The smile had completely faded from Michael's face, but thoughtfulness was prevalent instead of depression. Obviously trying to divert his mind elsewhere, Michael said, "Yeah, I'd sure like to decorate my new room."

Robin smiled. After a few more minutes of conversation, the group dispersed, each going off to pursue their own duties and pleasures.

Walking down the hallway, Michael heard a muffled yell. "HEY! WHAT THE… WHAT HAPPENED TO MY NEW SECURITY CAMERA?!!???!" Grinning impishly through his mood, Michael ran towards his new room.

------------------------------------------------------------

For the next few days, Michael trained and studied as much as possible. He wanted to know everything he could about his new friends, though he would never tell why. Beast Boy and Cyborg were his only real, living outlets of information available to him. Robin and Raven mostly stayed to themselves and Starfire wasn't very much help when it came to research.

The few times that Michael did get to speak with Robin, though, were very helpful. Robin told Michael about some of the Titan's missions, and about Terra. Michael had heard of Terra and her betrayal, but beyond that, he had not personally seen her. Possibly as a result of that betrayal, Michael found he never really heard much about the main strengths and weaknesses of the team. Trust would be hard fought, apparently.

------------------------------------------------------------

-(Michael)-

Setting down the last trinket upon the surface of his desk, Michael stepped back to admire his handiwork. After traveling to his house and delivering to the Tower all the stuff that he wanted to keep, he had begun decorating his room. A bookcase filled with random fiction tales stood on the same wall as the door, next to a dresser with a bookstand on top. The book stand held the Bible snuggly open to the Luke book. His bed stretched from the corner of the next wall, ending next to the desk he just finished decorating. Drawers and cupboards took up the rest of that wall, and the majority of the wall opposite him as well. The fourth and final wall was cluttered with other knickknacks and boxes, and a few paintings and posters graced the top portion. The middle of the room was empty, allowing room for Michael to practice.

Sitting down at his desk, Michael opened the scroll he had been studying earlier that day. It was written in Latin, but he could read the majority of it. When he came to a passage that was indecipherable, he simply checked the English version lying open to his right. Every now and then, he would move over to his Bible and check a few pages.

Yawning suddenly, Michael pushed his chair away from the desk. Hunger clawed at his stomach, and he couldn't remember the last time he had enjoyed a break.

Moving towards the kitchen with the English text in hand, Michael didn't even notice Starfire until she was right in front of him. Apparently, though, she noticed him,

"Oh, Michael, you must try my glorious Glorfnar!"

Puzzlement flashed across Michael's face for a brief second before his arm was nearly yanked off by Starfire. Floating like a rag doll behind the ecstatic alien, a look of resignation set itself. Starfire set him down rather hard in the kitchen before a grotesque collection of colored meat-looking shapes. Michael again looked puzzled when some of the pieces started to wiggle, and one even barked. _That's… Interesting…_

Right before Starfire was about to scoop a gigantic bowlful down his mouth, Michael saw Raven walk across the room and through the door, a book open to a prophesy. At first glance, Michael noticed that he recognized the language. Excusing himself politely from the table ("Uh… I'm sorry, I'll have to try it later. I feel… uh… not hungry right now…") he jogged through the door out into the main hall, just in time to see Raven turn the corner to her room's hallway. He picked up the pace and nearly ran into her as he dashed around.

Raven turned to Michael, annoyance plainly set into her features. "What do you want?"

Michael was taken aback by how frustrated she seemed. "Well, I noticed that you were reading something in Razic. I was just curious what it was, since not much text is written in it."

Raven looked down towards the book, a blank expression replacing her hostility. "It's… a prophesy. I think that it… might be related to this demon we're fighting."

As she was saying this, Michael looked down at the book, reading a small portion of it. "…will burn, Flesh will become stone, The sun will set…" Before he could read on, Raven shut the book, slamming the pages together.

"You don't need to read it."

"What's wrong with me reading it? Maybe I can help you find the connection. I am good at this stuff. Heck, I can even speak the language you're reading."

Raven again radiated hostility. "I said you don't need to read it," she said, anger obviously being held back only by sheer force of will.

But now Michael was beginning to lose patience. "It's just a prophecy! How bad can it be? I mean, it's not like the world could come crashing down because of it, or that it's something personally about you!"

Raven almost instantly sobered up at this. "Yes. It can, and it is." At this, Raven sprinted into her room, locking the large stone door behind her. Michael stayed staring at the door for another moment, then walked off, pondering just what she meant, as well as what that prophesy said. _Well… I guess I'll have to find out for myself…_ He fumed for a moment more, then returned to his room, forgetting about his earlier hunger entirely.

-(Raven)-

Flopping herself down onto her bed, Raven fought for control of her emotions. _How had he guessed what the prophesy was about? He couldn't have read that much about it!_ Fighting back tears, her eyes traveled to the calendar on her wall. Simple, with no pictures, the calendar told her all she needed to remember. _ Three days… Three days until it begins…_ Laying her head down again, her thoughts returned to Michael. _How did he guess it? How can he read Razic? There is far too much that he hasn't told us about himself. And this cult he's talking about… He's just not giving the name, I'm sure. _Although she didn't distrust him for some odd reason, she didn't like it that he hadn't revealed a lot about himself, either. Of course, it had taken a while before she had learned much about any of the other Titans, but still she was wary of another betrayal. If she couldn't find out more about this strange boy, she would have to take drastic measures. _Like search his room for answers._ _And it's the perfect time, too. He's already moved everything in. I'll just have to be stealthy._

-(Michael)-

Returning to his room after yet another outing (sans Starfire and food), Michael sat at his desk chair to contemplate what he had just learned. After a brief conversation with Beast Boy, whom he was becoming good friends with, Michael had learned something strange about Raven. On the other hand, though, it did explain a lot.

"So how is it that Raven got her powers?" he had asked Beast Boy, both of them working out in the weight room.

At this, Beast Boy had set down his jump rope. "Well, I'm not all the way sure… But if I had to guess, I'd say it's from her father."

Perplexed by this, Michael had asked, "Her father? Have you met him?"

Beast Boy suddenly smiled, switching into storytelling mode. "Yeah! This one time, Cyborg and me had to go into her room for something. I forgot what it was… but anyway, when we got in there, some weird purple magic mirror thing sucked me and Cy into Raven's mind! We had to fight off hundreds of these killer black bird things, and I met the different parts of Raven's personality!" With a few embellishments, Beast Boy outlined to Michael his adventures within the mind of Raven, finally ending with their encounter of Raven's Rage personality, and it's transformation into her father. He had also supplied the name: Trigon.

_Great. Just great._

Setting his alarm for eleven pm, Michael finalized his plan for that night. _Sneaking into her room isn't a bad idea. Now that I'm sure it's her, I do have a reason to look. And if she does happen to find me in there or wakes up, I'll just say I was looking for the bathroom!_

Putting in a Creed CD into his CD player, Michael set it to turn off in thirty minutes, then wake him up in four hours. _Should give me enough time before eleven to get ready for my raid._ As Torn came on, Michael's mind drifted away into sleep, readying itself for the night.

Four hours later, Michael awoke to his CD player playing the song Bullets loud enough to wake him up. Brushing his hair quickly to keep it out of his face, he touched his hand to a light bulb, concentrated, and disappeared.

-(Raven)-

Waking up at about eleven pm, Raven made her final preparations for her trek into Michael's room. Fixing her jewel onto her forehead and joining her cloak together with the clasp, she turned to her door. Eyes glowing white, black shadows covered her body from the outside in. She melded through the floor, beginning her silent trek to Michael's new room.


	5. Chapter 4: Findings

Chapter 4: Findings

-(Michael)-

_Spell books, ankhs, stone furniture… Not really surprised by her décor, really._ Michael took in Raven's room, his emotions bordering on déjà vu and disgust. _Reminds me of a worse case of my room before I found the Truth. Lot more organized, though…_ He lingered at the entrance, where he had phased through the door using his power. Looking further into the room, Michael noticed that Raven was not in fact in her room. Although this meant he didn't have to worry about waking her, he now had to hurry for fear of her coming through the door.

Making his way to the center of the room, Michael first checked the podium standing alone for the book he had seen Raven reading. It turned out to be something else entirely, but it was useful. It was open to a commentary on Cainis, explaining part of his history. Still, it wasn't anything Michael didn't already know. He moved on, continuing his search in the direction of Raven's bed.

-(Raven)-

Melding up through the floor, the first thing Raven noticed was that Michael's stereo was still running. Startled, she sank back through almost completely before realizing that Michael wasn't even there. Ascending to her full height, Raven listened to his choice of music. Slow guitar and drums accompanied by a male vocalist singing about being taken higher flowed into her ears. _Damn. Even his music reflects those lies…_

Raven redirected her attention back to her task. She slowly rotated from the center of the room, taking in the many posters and pictures adorning the room's walls. Some were from anime, while others either proclaimed Christianities values or had some catchy slogan about it. One of the pictures hanging looked hand drawn, and upon closer inspection, bore Michael's signature. A male angel adorned the page, colored in a golden light, but with obviously red hair. _Strange… Normally angels are portrayed blonde…_

Shrugging, Raven moved to Michael's desk. Its surface held nothing except a light and a couple of scuff marks. His dresser held the stand with the Bible, but she didn't even bother to look at that. She walked right past the TV and various game systems, and paid no attention to his bed. She finally stopped at the bookcase. Lying on one of the shelves was a black book labeled in Razic "Journal." It was worn, it's edges somewhat rounded from wear. She picked it up and skimmed past about two hundred pages quickly. Until the more recent dates within the last year, the journal was written almost exclusively in Razic. Opening to a random Razic entry, she silently began to read the somewhat halted script.

"_There is talk of battle coming, but of the enemy I know not. All of the students are undergoing rigorous training, some even withdrawing from their everyday lives to prepare. The elders of Draai have withheld all information on our foe. I wish they would tell me why! I know that I will be a great asset in this battle. It has been much too long since I have cut through my enemies with my beloved Cressinal.."_

Raven shivered. This definitely didn't sound like Michael at all. From what she had seen of him, he was gentle, kind. Even to her. He was much like Beast Boy in many areas. Also, the blade he talked about in the entry was named Cressinal, which meant "Death bringer" in Razic. But what she had just read convinced her that he had changed a lot in the past two years. Flipping through the pages again, Raven began reading an entry in English.

"_I will take Cressinal with me, as Milante asked me. I don't know what use that infernal blade can still have after what it and I have done. He seems to think that there is something good within it, a power that must be shown. I don't think anything good can come from a blade designed for slaughter and death, but I'll listen to Milante nonetheless. He is an Archangel, after all."_

Confusion was the only reaction Raven could produce to this entry. Not only had Michael's personality seemed to have changed between the entries, but he had also mentioned a being that could not have possibly existed. Not in her belief, anyway.

A faint light suddenly shown in her periphery, but when she looked up to see it, it had disappeared. Suddenly anxious, Raven sat with her back against the wall and began to read the next entry.

"_I never thought that it could have been done, but Cressinal has been cleansed. Its new appearance in glorious, as is the new name, Lissendar. After arriving at a clearing cut in half by a small stream, Milante asked me to hand him the sword. I did, and after he unwrapped the cold blade, I nearly puked from the residual evil flowing from it. But from just one look, Milante quieted my fears and doubts about the blade. Casting it into the water and saying a prayer, a bright light had shown up through the water, blinding me for a moment and making me wonder why people had not seen it for miles around. When the sword was pulled back up, it's black, oily appearance had changed! It was as if only the shape were still the same. The sword shown with a glossy light from within, and the jewel was now emerald colored. Also, the Razic symbol in the jewel had changed to a cross. I can hardly believe this gift that God has given me!"_

At the last sentence, Raven's face twisted in disgust. Scratching her left arm, she rose to put the journal back when she saw the faint light again, this time from a different direction. Startled, she turned her entire body to face it. Again, it disappeared before she even had time to turn her eyes.

Now paranoid, Raven placed the book down on the dresser, and then turned to leave. The door whooshed open, allowing her through…

... to bump straight into Michael.

-(Michael)-

Michael's eyes widened past their normal wide-open size to comical proportions. Several seconds passed as a horrified Raven looked at a malfunctioning Michael. His brain struggled to assess the situation as his eyes returned to normal.

"What are you doing in my room?" He asked brilliantly, the answer incredibly obvious. His eyes skipped from her, to his room, to his obviously misplaced journal. He buried his face in his hand, the awe-inspiring amount of irony catching up with him. Looking back up, he saw Raven struggling to find an answer. "Eh… Don't worry, it's painfully obvious. What did you read?"

"Read?" She said defensively. "Who said I read anything?" She confronted the withering stare exuding from Michael. Her defenses lasted, but they couldn't hold up to the full intensity of his 'I don't think so' look. Pushing past him, she replied, "I don't need to tell you anything."

Letting her go, Michael stared down the hallway, wondering how one human being could get so pissed off in seconds. Then he remembered his past. "Oh… yeah." He swept the broken and steaming lamp off his desk.

Walking to his dresser, he returned the journal to the bookcase. He did a full three-sixty of the room, then seemed to ask no one in particular, "So. What did she read?" A blinking light brought his attention from his left, and he turned to it. "Well?"

The soft yet brilliant light flooded his vision, then seemed to pulse its answer. _The Night, and before and after the Renewing. That's definitely a coincidence that she would read those._ Lifting his Bible off his dresser, Michael sat down on his bed, waiting for Raven's return.

-(Raven)-

Stomping down the corridor to her room, Raven's mind stormed. An irrational anger had welled up inside of her when she had read the diary. _How can he believe these lies?_ This Milante he spoke of had to be fictional, or so she tried to persuade herself. Stopping suddenly to lean against a wall and catch her breath, she drew her mind back again to what she had read. Questions popped up almost instantly. She found herself curious to know more about him. If he had dark secrets, the team had better know about them. _I'm not going to let another _Terra_ happen,_ she thought to herself resolutely.

It took her all of two minutes to reach the door to Michael's room again, and when he told her to come in before she even knocked, she was surprised to see him sitting on his bed reading, almost expecting of her to come back. Her resolve was temporarily replaced with confusion. "Yes?" He inquired gently, still buried within his book, taking a casual glance in her direction.

"It's not true." This one statement brought a smirk to Michael's face.

"It isn't?"

"No. It can't be. If there was a battle like your journal lead up to, we would have noticed it."

"Not necessarily," Michael said, unfazed.

Frustration welled up inside Raven, but she held it at bay. "What do you mean?" Raven said, much too calmly.

"No one outside the building would have seen the battle. It didn't happen here."

The frustration was now ebbing in on her voice. "That makes no sense. You just said that the people in the building were in the fight. Was the building not in this city?"

"It was," Michael said, still reading and only half paying attention to the conversation.

"Will you pay attention?!" Raven suddenly burst, swiping the book from his hands. Immediately, the back of her hand burst into an itchy spasm, making her drop the book. She glanced at the back of her hand, which bore strangely irritated skin, then looked down at the book. It was a Bible.

Michael picked up his conversation as more blasts of confusion assaulted Raven's mind. "It was completely confined to a sort of pocket dimension. Those that survived were left broken and alone. The event was marked by a rise in suicides that following week." His face was completely serious as he stood up. "Many were left broken and lost, not knowing what to do. Those that I knew, survived, and didn't kill themselves soon came to me looking for answers. I guess I kind of radiated a calm I didn't know I had, a happiness I hadn't known since I was a kid. They told me what had happened. I wasn't there, but it definitely wasn't what they had prepared for."

Looking from the book and back to her hand, Raven avoided Michael's gaze. "I don't have to believe you."

"You're right," he replied. "You don't have to. It's all your choice."

"I thought your God controlled everything. You don't have choice. You have whatever _He_ planned." She said the word 'He' with dripping sarcasm and obvious distaste.

"He knows everything that will happen simply because he exists outside of time. We still make our own choices, though."

Her frustration welled up again. "But that just doesn't make sense! He knows what you will do but you still have free will? _How_ does that make sense?"

Michael smiled sadly. "To many, it doesn't." He was silent for several seconds more as he turned to stare at a wall. He seemed lost in memory. Raven glanced up at him, watching as he seemed to look at something a million miles away. His smile wore away. He was obviously remembering something painful. Raven looked directly into his eyes, almost completely forgetting about her frustration. His dark green orbs bore the sadness of loss, depthless and terrifying. Shaking his head quickly, he brought his eyes back to Raven.

"So you read about Lissendar, too?" he asked softly.

"Yes," Raven responded faintly. He turned and pulled the sheathed sword from a long compartment in the silvery steel wall. Drawing the sword, he studied the jewel. Intrigued, Raven's eyes traveled there as well.

"It used to bear an arcane symbol meaning 'power,' but its no longer there. Instead, this cross is there." He was holding the sword at a slight angle, yet the cross inside stayed in the upright position.

"How does it do that?" she asked, her attention completely averted to the gem.

"I honestly don't know," Michael replied. "I've kinda just stopped questioning stuff like that."

"Stuff like what?" Her gaze followed the jewel as Michael twisted the sword around slowly. His eyes now held a somewhat childlike glint.

"Like this cross. Frankly, I don't need an explanation for it. Just knowing that God makes it happen is enough for me. Knowing exactly why is just like icing on the…"

"There you go again," Raven interrupted crossly. "Everything has to be about Him, doesn't it?"

One eyebrow rose bemusedly. "Yeah, pretty much."

Exasperated, Raven turned around and headed for the door. She stopped when he called her name. "I just thought I should let you know…" he said," that I was in your room, too."

Her anger flashed up, halfway melting the door handle, but it quickly subsided. Instead, Raven turned to look at Michael. Her face mirrored her feelings at her sudden realization. _That was ironic…_

-(Michael)-

The next day, while stooped over several instruction books and several more strewn computer parts, Michael's hearing picked up the alarm klaxon. It wasn't necessarily hard, considering the volume, but it took two blares to break Michael from his concentration. Sighing loudly, Michael sat up and grabbed his black sleeveless vest. He left the front open, displaying his blank white t-shirt and black pants. Grabbing Lissendar from where he had set it the night before and slipping on fingerless leather gloves to increase friction on the handle, he ran out of his room towards the central living room that he knew was shortly to become a briefing area.

As soon as he reached the room, it became almost painfully apparent what was wrong. Just one look out the window and Michael was able to view an oil platform lit up like a lightbulb. He sighed in exasperation. _Well, at least the first villain I'll fight as a Titan won't be too much of a genius…_

Turning from the almost embarrassing sight, Michael found himself staring at a very disgruntled Raven. His only saving grace from her stare of death was the fact that she didn't seem to be angry at him. Instead, she seemed a million miles away while also appearing to be impatient in the now. _Odd combination_, he thought.

Turning once more to face Robin as he began his briefing, Michael's thoughts turned to the matter at hand.

-------------------------

Grabbing onto a railing just below the main deck of the oil platform, Michael let his flight field dissipate. The air rippled around him as it's invisible energy flowed away. His body regained its weight, his arm and foot holding him firmly in place. All around him, the Titans gathered to mount their surprise attack. Robin began counting down from ten as a slightly maniacal voice rang out.

"Once I drain the energy from fifty-thousand barrels of oil, I'll flood the city in never-ending daylight!" _Who monologues?_ Michael thought. As he finished his tirade, the Titans vaulted up onto the platform, making themselves known. Robin threw several birdarangs, cutting the cables connecting to the armor-wearing villain in front of them. Jumping up to dodge the razor-sharp edges, Dr. Light, as Robin had called him in the briefing, narrowly avoided a blast from Cyborg's sonic cannon. The blast destroyed the machine Dr. Light had been using. Landing on another platform directly behind the machine, he stood straight and regarded the assembled heroes with contempt.

The Titans, assembled in various poses, returned the glare. Michael stood towards the back, next to Cyborg. Robin was the first to break the short silence. "Y'know, Dr. Light, for a guy so obsessed with illumination, you're not very bright." Unable to help himself, Michael smirked.

"Next time you're looking to steal something, you might want to pick a target we can't see from our living room," Raven stated rather sarcastically. Michael's smirk widened as he looked over his shoulder at the Titan Tower not far behind him. _Well, we won't have to worry about brilliant tactics from this guy…_

A look of genius level realization crossed the Dr.'s face. "Oh…well…um…" Suddenly, rearing back, the villain hurled bolts of light at the assembled Titans. Caught off guard, Michael barely ducked in time to see a bolt streak past his left temple. He watched as the Titans landed from their various evasive maneuvers. _Gotta be faster!_

"That's a real pretty light show, but sound packs a bigger punch!" Cyborg's energy cannon roared to life, shattering the air between him and the madman. The blast was caught by a net of yellow energy, though, and thrown back into Cyborg's face. Michael flinched as his teammate flew through the air and landed about twenty yards out into the water. His sword made a metallic rasping sound as he grabbed it rather unceremoniously from its sheathe and dove for cover.

Starfire attacked next, filling the air with her own blasts of energy, casting an emerald light to the battlefield. His sight blocked by the cargo block he hid behind, his only input from the battle was the various traveling sound of Starfire's starbolts. Smoke wafted past him, seeming to punctuate the scream of fury Starfire made. Unfortunately, he found that her blitz had been cut short as she sailed past him and landed hard on the ground.

Peeking around the corner, Michael found that he had not been alone in ducking behind the cargo blocks and boxes. Robin and Beast Boy turned from the crash site of Starfire and immediately brought their attention to Dr. Light. Michael looked up as well, wary for the next attack. His attention was averted, though, by the weird display that Beast Boy had begun.

"Hey dude!" Beast Boy yelled. "Nice pajamas!" He fished around at his waistline, drawing up his own boxers. "Do they glow in the dark?!?" His face quickly changed from humorous to comical surprise as he dropped down and jumped away as a bat. Robin went as well, leaving Michael to duck back behind his cover. White energy bolts flew past his position, careening with the ocean water farther off. _Yikes!_ Michael then jumped out and ran towards Dr. Light's now bat-assaulted position.

Running between the crates now, Michael caught only brief glimpses of the fight that Robin was putting up. He saw the boy wonder's trusty bow get snapped in half by a glimmering energy whip. This was enough for Michael to see. Jumping up into the air and vaulting himself further by energizing the air, he calculated his trajectory as Dr. Light was knocked away by a gigantic body slam from the now stegosaurus-ed Beast Boy. Landing perfectly on the small of the lunatic's back, Michael pushed down with his feet as hard as he could and trampolined off, sending the Dr. to the ground even faster.

Rolling to a stop several feet away, Dr. Light could do nothing but twitch for a few moments as the Titans regrouped behind him. He scrambled to his feet, turning to face the teen heroes. "No one defeats Dr. Light!" he proclaimed. "NO ONE!... huh?!?" His attention was now focused on the growing shadow, the rising black depth behind him. It quickly took form as a much-too-tall Raven. Dark shadow tendrils wove their way out of her cloak as her four eyes shown sinisterly with a hot red light. _Wait... red?_

"Remember me?" she asked.

His face the utter embodiment of pure remembered fear and terror, Dr. Light quickly turned back around, stating simply with a raised hand, "I'd like to go to jail now, please."

The humor portions of Michael's brain were definitely stimulated at this, but another part, a much greater part of him was still looking at Raven. The dark form she possessed at the moment scared him, scared him greater than anything the villain could have thrown at him. It reminded him of his past. Of his darkness, as well as what was to come.

The rest of the Titans began to haul off the deranged illumination hound, but Michael stayed in place, as did Raven. She was staring off back towards the tower, and he was staring intently at her. After a moment, in which the background conversation switched to doughnuts, pale violet eyes met green ones. They stayed locked that way for several moments, Raven's face a mask of angered determination, Michael's a mask of realization lightly tinged with horror. _She's like I was,_ he thought. _Angry… confused… out of control…_

She broke contact first, saying to the group, "I'll meet you back at the tower. I want to get inside before tomorrow starts." Before anyone could protest or say a word, she was already on her way back to the Tower.

"What's so special about tomorrow?" Beast Boy asked, now totally confused. Turning away with Cyborg and Starfire, he helped to lead the villain to the jail. Robin, though, stayed behind.

Walking up beside Michael, Robin asked quietly, "What was that all about?"

Staring out over the ocean, Michael replied simply. "She's angry."

A small amused chuckle escaped from Robin. "She gets that way sometimes."

"Not just sometimes. I mean she herself is very angry. At the world, it seems." Michael's face remained stony, emotionless, as he said this.

"Some people have nothing, and just choose to be angry," Robin replied.

Silence fell for several moments.

"Do you go to church?" Michael asked, seemingly out of the blue.

Taken aback, Robin took a second to answer. "Well… no, but I remember going once with my parents. Before they died."

A pang of grief echoed within Michael's heart. _Great. Don't need that going again._ Shrugging it off, he continued with his tangent. "I'd like it if you came with me tomorrow. I'd like some help explaining what happened, where I've been. I'm not gonna lie. It's going to be hard for me." His glassy eyes echoed the grief in his heart.

A sad smile appeared on Robin's face. "Sure. So we'll see you back at the Tower?"

"Yeah. See you."

Michael stood, holding the railing of the main deck for several more minutes. Memories of his parents assaulted him, nearly drowning him in an ocean of sadness. Closing his eyes, he reached for the calm that he always knew to be there. Just as his mind grasped it, though, he felt something.

It felt evil. As evil as or more so than Cainis. And it was rising. His eyes snapping open, Michael took a quick glance down at the water before staring at the city. His adrenaline subsided with the wave of evil as quickly as it had come a moment later. The feeling was now one of calm again. _Whatever it is, it's not ready to fight yet._ Staring at the glistening buildings for a few moments longer before heading home, Michael could have sworn he saw Cainis' face laughing back at him in the stars.

_And so it begins_, he thought sadly.


	6. Chapter 5: Realization

Accompanying Chapter 5 will be a summary and explanation of confusing events. I think that some of the stuff I wrote before could be a little confusing, since I'm trying to be a little ambiguous on a lot of the details.

Also, a new disclaimer:

**Official Looking Disclaimer** I do not own Teen Titans. Therefore, don't sue me. Eight cents, a paperclip, and a ball of lint just aren't worth it.

**Summary of Confusing Events**

First is in Chapter 1. A few paragraphs after Raven faints, you see her powers referenced as attacking Cainis. This is not a mistake. She just wasn't out long and I had no need to tell you that she woke up. Just thought I'd clarify that.

Also in Chapter 1 and subsequent chapters when Raven gets all itchy, it is supposed to be along the places she has the runes on her skin in the episode "Birthmark." The scars on Michael are also in the same places, and run down his legs as well. As for what they said… bastard smile Not telling!

In Chapter 2, when re-reading my work, I found that it seemed a bit confusing to mention the alarm and then have Michael training in the next scene. Here is the explanation: When the alarm sounded, Michael was asleep. He didn't hear it, so the Titans were out fighting a villain (possibly random villain #6752). He slept for about forty-five minutes, then got up to train. Afterwards, when he bumped into Cyborg, I thought I had sufficiently explained that the Titans had just gotten back. Oops. Also in this chapter, when I said that the power Michael has is rare, I didn't mean that. Check back some time to that chapter, because I'll update it with the correct information. Also, I'll write it here: The power is bestowed upon the followers by the masters of the so called "Cult". Therefore, the more people that join, the more people that have the power. It's still connected to Raven, though. Oh, and, before, when I said that Michael's powers weren't visible… I lied. They're white with a black outline. Um… Yeah.

For your convenience, I will write a little time line of events right here. The story starts on a Sunday. Michael is out for three days, making it Wednesday when he wakes up. He talks to Robin on Thursday (I even forgot that myself and got confused when I read that part). His little training session is on Friday. Raven and Michael also raid each others rooms on that night. Saturday is when Dr. Light attacks. So. Considering all this, betcha can't guess what happens now, on Sunday, seven days from Cainis' appearance.

I'm going to try to fix all errors in previous chapters before I post this, so they should be fixed by the time you're reading this. Enjoy!

PS. Oh, yeah, since I haven't paid much attention to BB, I'm starting the chapter off with him. Not much, but it foreshadows something. :D

---------------------------------------------

Chapter 5: Birthmark

-(Beast Boy)-

A deafening alarm sounded, smashing through the paltry defenses of the ear drum. The siren had begun its relentless attack. A weak hand reached up sluggishly, preparing to defend from this evil attack. Swiping down with all it's strength, the hand found the 'off' button and forcefully slammed it.

Beast Boy slowly sat himself up on his bed, looking evilly at the eviler alarm clock. _I shall best thee one day, vile sorcerer of the morn!_ Rolling slowly in an attempt to avoid the rushing of blood to ones head, Beast Boy flopped rather unceremoniously onto the floor of his bedroom. _Why…must…I sleep… on…top bunk…_ Pushing himself up once again and putting on a shirt to cover the parts his pajama bottoms didn't, he made his way drowsily to the kitchen.

Finding his way to the refrigerator, which held his prized tofu pop tarts , he sat down at the counter and bit into their scrumptious goodness. His mind was occupied by his last nights dreams. Or, more specifically, what he had dreamt. He couldn't necessarily remember, but seeing as they made him completely reluctant to wake up and almost miss some good TV time meant they were pretty nice.

Beast Boy turned his head to the sound of Michael coming through the door, looking like he was ready to leave for somewhere. _10:04? And he's up and ready? What's _with_ this guy?_ Eyeing Michael as if he were some sort of bizarre specimen of bug that he had never before been seen, he continued to nibble on his tofu tart.

While in the process of putting his shoes on at the couch, Michael finally noticed Beast Boy's intent stare. "What?" he asked eloquently.

"It's 10. You up. And ready. Me tired. How?"

Michael let out a chuckle at the grogginess of Beast Boy's speech. "I'm heading off to church this morning." Michael felt obliged to elaborate at the dazed look on Beast Boy's face. "Church. Praying place. It's Sunday... Beast Boy?" Beast Boy had, of course, fallen asleep about the time Michael had started talking, and was just starting to wake up again at the end. After waving his hand in front of Beast Boy's face, Michael chuckled. Turning around just in time to see Robin come in the door, he had to stop himself from laughing more. "Robin… You're in a tux. You have a mask on. What the crap."

"Yeah? What's wrong with it?"

This time, Beast Boy chimed in. "Michael's wearing casual." Confusion etched itself onto Robin's face.

"You don't have to wear that to my church. We wear pretty casual stuff there, except on special occasions. As for the mask, though…" Michael paused for a moment, his mind switching tracks. "Wait a minute... Beast Boy, you have coherent thought right now?"

Eyes twitching, Beast Boy merely shoved the rest of the tofu tart into his mouth and grumbled his way to the couch. Even Robin chuckled as he and Michael made their way down to the garage.

Several minutes later, Raven entered the room to prepare her normal tea. Glancing around the room and seeing a tux hung over a couch, she raised her eyebrow inquisitively. Just as she was wondering what it was there for, Michael ran into the room. Glancing in her direction while running towards the discarded suit, he nodded. "Forgot my Bible," he explained absently. He ran through the hall to his room, then rushed back out towards the bottom of the tower. All the while, Raven stood, arms folded, a more than annoyed look on her face.

_Morons._

-(Michael)-

Five minutes after the morning service ended, Michael and Robin sat in the office of his youth pastor, Anthony Silvis. His office was decorated with various Christian Rock groups, including one that started in Michael's old hometown. He smiled as he let his favorite song play itself in his head, 'Reunion', by Frankly Scarlet. He was interrupted midway, though, when Anthony stepped through his door into the office.

Nicknamed 'Ant' jokingly before Michael had even begun coming to the church, he was an easygoing and straightforward guy who didn't just say he loved everyone. He did. Ant had taken Michael's life and helped make it pull a 180 into the right direction. He had helped Michael reorganize his life into one more driven by God. There wasn't much Michael _didn't_ owe him.

Aside from these things, though, Ant also knew of Michael's full past, something that was never told to anyone else. This was the reason Michael was talking to him today. Walking up and shaking Michael's hand, Ant began the conversation. "You've been through a lot, Michael. Praise God you're holding up."

Michael responded with a sad smile and a nod. "Yeah..."

"Where have you been staying? At your house?"

"No," he responded. "I've been staying with some new friends. Ant, meet Robin. Robin, Anthony Silvis." Ant's eyes widened for a moment at the mention of Robin's name, but he didn't break stride. The two shook hands, exchanging their 'Nice to meet you''s. "They let me rest at their tower, and after a couple of fights, they say they might let me join."

Ant chuckled at this. "I had a feeling you were allowed these powers for some reason."

"Well... I guess. I hadn't looked at it that way," Michael responded.

Robin suddenly cut in, saying, "I thought we came in here to ask him something?" He was all business as usual.

Michael's trace amounts of mirth faded and was replaced with a more serious tone. "Ant, do you remember how I asked you to look up anything on the Scathe prophecy?" Ant nodded, looking concerned.

"Yes," he said, "I do. I've been reading them constantly, but when I tried to access the files on Wednesday, they were gone. From every website they were on, too. I'm not really sure what to make of it." Robin's eyebrows raised.

"Know something?" Michael asked.

Robin took a second to answer. "The call that we got, two days ago when you were asleep. When you were asleep. The owners of a web server were among the victims. Their equipment was also destroyed."

Michael mulled this over for a moment. "So you think it could be Cainis behind all of this?"

"It seems the most logical answer right now. It's almost a given."

Michael nodded. "It sounds like his style. Kill everything before it can…" He stopped mid-sentence, realizing the information he had mistakenly given out.

Robin caught it almost immediately. His eyes narrowed considerably. "You know more about this guy?"

"Well… uh… yeah. I… kinda do."

"And when were you planning on telling us? The next time he decides to wipe out thirty people?"

Ant patiently stared at the walls of the office. Sighing, Michael said, "I've heard about him. Read about him, once. But not much more. The stuff I know, Raven probably already knows as well. She has enough books, I'd be surprised if she hadn't heard of him." _I've gotta choose my words more carefully. At least I didn't let slip that I've been in her room…_

Silenced stretched for a minute until Ant spoke up. "Well, I'm sorry I can't help you, but if there's anything else I can do, just tell me."

Shaking his head, Michael replied, "Nothing, except for the other thing I asked you to look for."

"If I find her, I'll tell you."

"Thanks. Until next time, brother." The two believers embraced for a moment. Robin stood from his chair, shook hands with Ant, and then left with Michael, his face a mixture of confusion and annoyance.

-(Beast Boy)-

Meanwhile, deep in the bowels of the T Tower, Beast Boy sat hard at work, typing away at the Tower's mainframe computer. His face exuded concentration one would not think possible from such a comical personality. Dressed in all black, he blended with the natural shadows of the area. His agile fingers, conditioned from years at the game controller, blazed across the keyboard. File after file flashed across the screen, data bit after data bit flying infinitely quick through the massive, multi-processor-filled motherboard. Suddenly, everything stopped, from the clicking of the keyboard to the whizzing of the files. _Victory…_

Some time later… 

The smile was now uncontrollable. It contained all the deviousness it's master could throw in. On Beast Boy, it was terrifying. It was alarm-raising. It put the pure essence of horror cleanly into Robin's heart.

"What did you do now?" Robin asked, almost too calmly. He set down the report he had been reading, readying himself for anything. Beast Boy merely continued to smile.

By this time, Cyborg and Starfire, the only two other occupants of the room, had noticed the malicious smile covering Beast Boy's face. Cyborg's sensors shot up, scanning the room for anything remotely trap- or prank-like. "Everything looks clean," Cyborg informed the rest of the team, eyes continuing to shift around.

"I found out what day it is." Beast Boy's already enormous smile stretched even wider. The three assembled Titans waited expectantly. "It's her birthday!"

Starfire's brow lowered in confusion. "Whose day of birth?"

"Raven's." The smile passed beyond physical limits.

Starfire grinned joyfully. "Oh, what joy! We must set up a celebration for this joyous event!" At this, she began to hop around the room in a (yep) joy-filled manner.

Tearing his eyes away from the clearly ecstatic alien, Robin looked sternly at Beast Boy. "How did you find this out?"

Beast Boy's smile gained ten more devious points. "Oh, you know, I kinda… found it. Lying around."

"…In the forbidden files section," Robin and Cyborg finished at exactly the same time. "You didn't use my computer again, did you?" Cyborg asked warily.

"No!" Beast Boy quickly yelped, smile fading into a more defensive look. "I used the Tower's mainframe computer."

Robin's face fell, and an audible 'pop' emitted from Cyborg's head. "You used _WHAT_?" the boy wonder demanded.

Beast Boy's eyes darted around quickly, searching for an escape route. "Uh… It's Raven's birthday?" he offered meekly.

-(Raven)-

A knock on the door was definitely one of the last things Raven wanted to hear while she was trying to meditate the day away, nuclear fallout being about the only thing lower. Sighing a great sigh, she gracefully floated off of her bed, unfolding her legs in midair, and landed perfectly in front of her door. Unfortunately, the clock she had set in her lap and forgotten about didn't have such a gentle landing. It clanged to the floor, the two little bells inside jingling once before bringing quiet back to the room. _Great…_ she thought.

Her door grudgingly slid open a slit, revealing a patient looking Michael on the far side. "Go away," she eloquently began, pushing the door closed with her power.

Stuffing his right hand into the door, Michael held it open. "Uh, I wanted to say something…"

"You can say it tomorrow." Several pops echoed from Michael's hand as she pushed the door harder. His hand held firm, though (as if it had anywhere else to go at that point), and with a grunt of effort, the door slid ponderously open, helped by a white glow. Raven finally gave up the battle, allowing the stone obstacle to move aside. "Alright. What do you want?"

"I just wanted to apologize for the way I've been acting. I've been… a bit rude to you." Not a trace of a lie could be found in his words.

"You haven't done anything wrong." Raven reached for the door, but Michael spoke before her hand could complete the journey.

"Yeah, I have. I've been talking about things that apparently offend you. I shouldn't be doing things that could potentially break apart this team like that. Especially since I asked you not to do the same. Makes me kind of a hypocrite."

Raven stared at him evenly. _To tell the truth, I really didn't expect this._ She didn't let this distract her for long, though. "Apology accepted. Now go away." The door turned black and slammed shut before Michael could even react.

"Crap," Raven heard Michael say through the door.

Scooping up the clock from the blue carpet, Raven made her way back to her bed, continuing her wait for the end of the day. She sat cross-legged on the bed for what seemed like an eternity. Sometimes meditating, sometimes just staring out at the sky, she waited. And she waited. Minutes crept like hours, hours like weeks. Eventually, she glanced at the clock.

"Six pm. Just six more hours and it'll be over. Six more-" Her sentence was interrupted by a loud slam against her door. She sat up instantly, ready for action, moving towards the door. "Hello?" she asked, but only the emptiness of her room responded.

Her door opened quickly, allowing her to step out and survey the area outside her room. She looked down one corridor, then turned suddenly at a noise from the other. Walking warily yet determinedly, she followed the sound.

Prepared for anything, she walked through the doors of the darkened living room. Almost ready to turn around and check another room, the lights burst on, revealing…

-(Michael)-

"**_SURPRISE!!!_**" The combined force of five sets of lungs screaming one word in unison blew back Raven's dark purple hair. She let out a scream of pure, unfiltered… well, surprise. It didn't take long for her to recover, though; almost while in mid-scream, she fell into the floor, disappearing from view.

Cyborg was the first to break the silence. "Uh… Raven?"

"It is merely us, your friends, with warm wishes for the day of your birth!" Starfire piped up next.

Robin glanced around almost knowingly. "I told you a surprise party was a bad idea." He glanced over at Michael, who nodded his agreement.

"Mm-hm."

Behind Beast Boy's feet, a pool of darkness formed, expelling a most definitely annoyed Raven. Beast Boy, taken utterly by surprise, shrieked and retreated back towards the others.

"How did you know it was my birthday?" Raven sinisterly asked. Michael glanced from Robin to Raven, unsure of what the next move was.

Fidgeting his hands nervously, Beast Boy provided the explanation. "Um… Remember last night, how you made that big deal about tomorrow?" He stopped for recognition, but continued when all Raven did was glare. "Well, we started wondering what tomorrow was, so we did some snooping…" Before he had even uttered the word "snooping", Beast Boy had five sets of eyes staring him down. "Okay," he began again, "I did some snooping… and I sort of found a restricted file in the off-limits area of the Titan's computer, and it… kinda had your birthday on it…" His voice faded to near nothingness by the end from the sheer power of the stare he was receiving from Raven.

Starfire finished for him. "And we have been preparing your celebration ever since!"

"We put up tons of decorations!" Beast Boy popped back in.

"I baked my famous eight layer cake," Cyborg said, lifting up a platter with a gigantic lid, "with three kinds of frosting." The lid came off, expounding a cake that was much larger than the lid, and did, in fact, have an enormous eight layers, and yes, three kinds of frosting.

Starfire popped up in front of Cyborg once more, saying, "And I have assembled for you a traditional Tamaranian Throknar, the Crown of Meat!" She lifted up a slab of some sort of meaty substance shaped messily into a crown. Raven's frown only grew more pronounced with every word.

Exchanging looks with Michael, Robin spoke the thought going through both their minds.. "I… hope this is ok. We just-"

"_No_, it's not," interrupted Raven. Her frown softened from her face, replaced instead by a look of weariness. "Look… I really appreciate what you're trying to do here, but I'm not interested." She turned quickly away and had made it halfway to the door before the infallible Starfire intercepted her.

"But there will be music, and the iced cream, and a strange game involving pins and the behind of a donkey!" Michael let out a groan as Cyborg stepped in to support Starfires argument.

"We got a piñata shaped like Beast Boy!" His smile turned devious. "Y'know you wanna smack it."

It had been their last line of defense, but it had still failed them. "I said _NO_."

"C'mon Raven, I know you hate fun, but it's your birthday," Beast Boy intercepted once more, obviously not knowing when to give up. "It's special. You can't let this day end without-"

"**_NO!!!_**"

Michael felt it coming before he saw it- a buildup of rage and dark energy. His own field surrounded him just in time to catch simultaneous debris of cake, meat, and the occasional piece of candy from the maimed Beast Boy piñata. Everyone else without these powers, however, were drenched in the stuff. Michael looked everyone over to see that they had not caught plate fragments in the face, then glanced just in time to see Raven stalk out of the room without another word.

"I told you a surprise party was a bad idea." Beast Boy, of course, with his sarcastic finale.

"Give it a rest," Robin said, pushing past him to the door. Before he could get there, though, Michael caught him by the shoulder.

"Maybe I should go talk to her."

Robin turned around, slightly confused. "Why?"

"Because… I might have put her in a bad mood earlier. I went to her room to apologize for something else, but it didn't go very well. I think I need to apologize to her again." His eyes trailed to the ground.

Robin stood his ground, debating whether or not it was a good idea. After a moments consideration, he smirked and said, "Sure, why not. It's worth a try." Michael smiled, spouted a quick thanks, then rushed past him and through the door to chase down Raven.

"Raven! Wait!" His words echoed across the hallway, stiffening Raven's body. She slowly turned around, a menacing look in her eyes.

"What?" she asked, irritation painfully obvious.

"I'd just like to say sorry. Again. For earlier."

Raven's eyes narrowed. "You think that's what this is about?"

"Well, you're in a bad mood, so I just thought that…"

Raven's look softened for a moment. "Don't blame yourself for everything. It's not good for you."

Michael's eyebrows descended with confusion as he scratched the back of his head. An idea was beginning to form in his head of what the problem might be. "Then… what's the matter?"

Raven's face took on a blank look, but her body language betrayed her lack of truth in the statement. "It's… nothing. Nothing you need to worry about. I have to handle it."

"Raven, don't try to handle everything by yourself. No one can do everything on their own." His voice didn't hold the signature of irony it could have; instead, sincerity presented itself. "Sometimes you have to let others in to help."

"I don't need anyone's help. Not for this." Raven turned quickly and made for the hall leading to her room.

"So you're just going to walk out, huh? After how hard Beast Boy and the others worked to try and make you happy?" Michael asked.

Just as quickly, Raven doubled back and glared at Michael. "What does it matter to you? You've only been here five days, and you think that you can just act like everyone's best friend." Her eyes narrowed further. "You act like we should trust you, believe your stories. Did it not once occur to you that maybe, just maybe, we don't trust you?"

Michael took a step back, slightly shocked at the sudden outburst. "I... I don't expect anyone to trust me! Heck, I don't even know what to do right now. Where to start, or anything."

"You can start by leaving me alone." Raven's dark cloak swirled as she turned to leave.

Just before she disappeared behind the wall, Michael looked up and asked, "How old are you today?"

Raven stiffened for a moment, then answered, "Sixteen." Her footsteps echoed down the hallway as shock replaced the look of suspicion evident a moment before.

"Sixteen," he said to himself. "Sixteen… So. This _is_ the day that it starts. The day the Marked of Scathe always waited for." His eyes lingered on the place she had been moments before. "I see why you're acting like that. Don't worry. I'm here to help." His monologue ended, Michael turned around, but instead of heading back into the living room, he began walking back to his own room, hands hidden in his pockets and head drooping.

About 5 minutes later, though, as he aimlessly wandered the halls while lost in thought, he heard a scream.

-(Raven)-

Her scream was sudden and filled with terror. The vision had been so real, felt so alive, that it had horrified her to the core. She looked around worriedly at the normality of her room, checking to see that it was not, in fact, on fire. The entire time, the words "What you have concealed, you will become" kept repeating themselves inside her head.

Suddenly, outside her door, a muffled, fleshy thump vibrated through her walls. Opening her door to see what the problem was, she found Michael and Robin recovering from what was very obviously a head-on collision with each other. Raven stood there, looking on at the spectacle quizzically, but still with her feelings of fear etched onto her face.

Robin was the first to speak up. "What's wrong?"

"Yeah, I… well, I guess we both heard you scream. What's going on?"

Raven didn't have time to answer, though, as all three teens' eyes rose to the blaring alarm.


	7. Chapter 6: Birthmark

Chapter 6: Birthmark(Er... sorry for the wait...)

Also, be sure to re-read previous chapters, because I've made some minor and major changes to some of them, mostly concerning Michael's personality and attitude.

Fixes: There were 2 emails sent out because I had interesting problems with the chapter system, getting rid of "Chapter 6 part 1". Also, re-uploaded to fix grammatical errors in the last few paragraphs of the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, but I do own my original characters. Ha.

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(Flashback)

_Torchlight lit the dark and eerie room, casting long and evil shadows across the floor and walls. Multiple robed figures stood firm, circled around a kneeling young teenager. Occult symbols surrounded his bent form. The leader, easily the most sinister of the group, spoke first. "We are here to confirm the acceptance of this young man as a warrior of our Great Master. Do you accept the Mark of Scathe, Michael?"_

_The boy raised his head. "Yes. I shall wear the mark of the Great Master." _

_The leader placed his hand upon the boy's forehead. "Then prepare yourself."_

Michael snapped back to awareness, the last vestiges of the nightmarish memory fading. His hand immediately flew up to run along his forehead, thankfully to find it smooth. What had been there had long since faded on the night of his rebirth. The memory, though, had come at a strange time. Riding in the backseat of the T-car while on the way to a mission was definitely not a place to reminisce. Pushing the memory aside, he refocused himself as the car came to a stop before an immense power plant.

The six heroes entered the building almost nonchalantly, yet alert, not sure what to be ready for. Looking around, Cyborg asked, "So who's the villain _de jour_? Gizmo? Mad Mod? Killer Moth?"

"The report simply stated there was an intruder," Starfire replied.

"Gizmo?" Michael asked idly. "What kind of villain name is that?"

"Well, your superhero name isn't all that good either," Beast Boy replied. "You need something better, like Holy Boy, or Righteous Man, or-"

"Jesus Freak," Raven offered dryly, but with a smirk. The rest of the now-perplexed Titans turned to stare at her for a moment, quite surprised that she would add to any one of Beast Boy's jokes. The fact that it still seemed to carry her trademark sarcasm, though, abated their confusion.

Recovering quickly, Beast Boy continued with, "Ah, whatever nickname he chooses, it's sure to kick some major bu-Ungh!" His comment was cut off as he bumped headlong into Robin, who had stopped walking quite suddenly. In fact, all the Titans had stopped walking and were now staring up at a platform, including Michael. Beast Boy followed their gaze, then emitted a high pitched "Eep!"

Standing before the group was a threat even Michael recognized, despite never having encountered it. The figure stood amassed in shadow, wearing the darkness like an age-old, familiar cloak. Bale seemed to seep out of every pore and out through his suit, littering the area around him with evil perversion. Finally, as the full scope of the scene settled ominously among all the Titans, it spoke. "It's been a long time, hasn't it, Titans? A month? A year? A millennia? Far too long for my tastes, anyway." The shadow turned its head to face the group, and a single eye stared from the now-uncovered orange half of the mask. "I was beginning to think I'd never see your smiling faces again."

Robin, nearly speechless, let out a breathless, "No," as Cyborg said, "You... how did you survive?" and Michael added, "Wasn't he dead?"

"Terra took you down!" Beast Boy stated. "Way down!" The shadow only coldly laughed.

"Don't think I'll go along with you this time-" Robin began.

"Oh, Robin, you don't actually think that it's you I'm after, do you? How precious." His lone eye fell back down to Raven. "I didn't come back for you." As soon as the last word left his mask, a red mark appeared over his forehead. A mark that poured dread, fear, and terror directly into Michael's heart, as if injected with a syringe. A mark that told Michael, 'This is it. It's beginning.'

He didn't have much time to sort out his feelings, though, as Slade wound up and let loose with a spinning inferno of incandescence and evil, winding its way like a snake towards the Titans. Dodging backwards out of the way, Michael felt the very tips of his hair start to singe under the intense heat of the fireball. He squinted and followed it with his eyes, watching as it wound its way purposefully towards Raven.

-(Raven)-

Without anywhere else to go, Raven simply warped her way through the wall behind her, and flinched as the walls around her shook from the impact of the fireball.

Circling around and coming out of the ground she had before been floating over, Raven broke the surface just in time to see another streak of fire hit just a few feet away from Michael. After a few seconds, the dust cleared, and revealed Michael standing in a wide stance, arms crossed in front of him. Another few moments, and he lowered his arms, opened his eyes, and brought his stare onto her. It had all the effects of telepathy. _He's after you. Keep back._ Disengaging his eyes from the gothic telepath, Michael brought his attention back to Slade, then drew his sword in one swift motion. Looking around, Raven saw that the rest of the Titans had assembled next to them.

On the platform, Slade held his hands out admiringly. "Ever have one of those days where you're just happy to be alive?"

"Dude!?" Beast boy questioned.

"Yeah! Since when can Slade do that?" Cyborg finished.

Stepping up onto the guardrail of the platform, Slade jumped and spun the thirty feet down to the Titan's level, dust swirling around him dramatically. Robin's face set. "I'm not sure, but he won't be doing it for long." His stance dropped lower. "Titans! Go!"

The Titans reacted by immediately assaulting the now super-powered mastermind with a barrage of starbolts, sonic beams, and bombs. Spinning his arms around him, Slade erected a fiery barrier around himself, instantaneously teleporting himself back to his original platform.

Ignoring Michael's earlier warning, Raven immediately picked herself up off the ground and shot off towards Slade. She was just in time to see one of Robin's freezing grenades finish its handiwork on the villain's shield. Unfortunately, ice didn't seem to have much of an effect, and Slade almost casually broke free. Using her power, Raven sent some of the shards on a collision course back at Slade. Nimbly, and with a grace that bested that of ten Robins, the target back flipped and rolled his way out of harm's range. Landing on a platform even lower than before, he again dodged, this time easily darting away from a very large and heavy gorilla.

Seeing an opening, Starfire flew in from above and delivered a powered-up starbolt. Without missing a beat, Slade planted himself firmly on the ground, opened up his hands and arms in a wide arc, and caught the blast with a cage of lightning-like fire. Sliding back a full forty feet, Slade dug his feet in and stopped himself. Effortlessly, he stopped the bolt, throwing it immediately back the direction it had come. The bolt, now super-powered, struck Starfire squarely in the chest, sending her flipping and reeling yards away.

Cyborg stepped up next, using the time it took Slade to bat away Starfire to fix himself a bat of his own. His biomechanical strength allowed him to easily rip free one of the monstrously huge hydraulic cylinders lining the sides of the room with ease, and he prepared for his blow with a mighty swing. Again, though, Slade was prepared almost without meaning to be. A fiery aura surrounded him, melting crisply through the gigantic hunk of metal as it passed by on its course. Dropping his now halved beating stick, all Cyborg could do was quietly utter, "Whoa!"

"Whoa? That's it?" Slade asked. "No clever comment? I was looking forward to that." Cyborg snapped himself out of his stupor, clearing his mind by throwing away his now useless blunt-trauma inflicter. He charged, but it was for naught. Dodging calmly underneath Cyborg's monstrous punch, Slade applied pressure to his thumb with his forefinger. Fire danced softly around the two digits. Single eye smiling, Slade flicked the hulking Cyborg away with one effortless twitch. The bionic strongman flew through the air, slamming straight into Raven and knocking them both to the ground.

Raven blacked out for a few moments, the mere impact enough to scatter all of her thoughts. Her powers rendered useless for the moment, she hit the ground at full speed, not even able to physically break her fall. She lay prone for a few moments as the sounds of battle seemed to grow distant to her, then very near, then all too distant again. She was broken out of her numbness only by the sudden touch of a human hand on her shoulder. It shook her gently, then seemed to ask her, "Are you alright?"

Her mind shed more of its grogginess, then realized the hand and the voice belonged to Michael. He offered his hand to help her up, but her pride and loathing ego wouldn't allow it. She batted away his hand with her own, then lifted herself back on her feet with her powers.

A rough clanking sound drew both their eyes to the scene of Robin and Slade's duel in the clockwork. Or lack of duel, considering the fact that the noise the two telepaths had heard was that of Robin's bo being forcefully dismembered via immolation. Michael ducked slightly as a piece helicoptered past his head, his eyes following it with an affronted look. Turning their attention back to the fight in the machine, they saw Robin get hit by Slade's flaming bo, causing him to fly through the air and land much farther away on a slowly rotating gear.

Worry creased Raven's face as she glanced back to Cyborg, still unconscious on the ground. "I just want this day to end." Her sad eyes turned to Michael, pleading him, or anyone for that matter, for an answer. Before one could be given, though, Slade landed deftly in between the two teens, making them jump back slightly in surprise.

"I think we both know that this day is _far_ from over." Slade stood and regarded her, pausing for a moment. He didn't wait long.

"Yes, quite far, indeed. We have only just now come to my introduction." Seven feet of sinewy death strolled up from behind Slade. "And, I might add, it is quite the emotional introduction." Cainis smiled sinisterly, directing his cold, empty amethyst eyes at Michael. His hand, before hidden deep inside his trenchcoat, smoothly withdrew and pulled his dark sword out with it. "Come now, I can't have you interfering with the Awakening, now can I?"

-(Michael)-

Pure rage. The one term that could even come properly close to describing the state of Michael's emotions at seeing his parents' killer standing casually beside the Titan's most diabolical enemy. Before he could think, before logic could cut in and pronounce the action unacceptable, he launched himself straight at Cainis. His silver blade sparked as it drew a contrail along the ground, rising up the meet Cainis' blade at an incredible velocity.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Michael was aware that Raven and Slade were fighting. That the battle they fought was the one he should be a part of. That right then, he stood no chance against the archdemon he now faced off with. But counteracting that awareness was the blind, pulsing monster that was Michael's desire for revenge. He was totally in the fight.

Using the momentum from his blade ricocheting off of Cainis', Michael quickly adapted his motion to spin around and bring another vertical strike towards Cainis. The strike was casually flipped away as the demon twirled his sword in a tight cone, sending Michael horribly off-balance. To make things worse, he heard Raven scream in pain from another platform, breaking him out of his battle mind, as well as giving him an awful burning sensation in his left wrist. The scar running across that area twinged, and Michael cried out as well, falling to his knees with his back to his opponent.

His mind, though distracted, was still able to feel the subtle changes in his environment, and by what was now pure instinct, Michael brought the blade into position at a slant behind him, catching what would have been a deathblow. Pushing off the ground with his power, Michael rocketed quickly through the air, looking for a split-second to recover…

…only to land directly in front of Cainis. The demon had moved instantly to that area, and Michael only barely deflected another strike. He stumbled away again, but was able to hold together his balance as he hopped once on one leg. By what seemed like pure chance, his airborne leg caught the back of Cainis' incoming sword and redirected it enough to only cut the end off of the left shoulder portion of his black vest. This time, it was Cainis' turn to be knocked off-balance.

As the two combatants regained their footing, though, they were interrupted by a stream of lightning that blasted apart the middle of the platform. Michael and Cainis stared at each other for a second more before Cainis smiled, jumping backwards, away from the now unstable ground. The youth quickly followed suit. As he flew through the air, Michael looked around, slowing his perception of time as much as possible to bring in as many details as he could. Pure pandemonium raged as the lightning, which stemmed form Slade, devoured several hydraulic cylinders and support columns, and soon pieces of the ceiling were falling down.

Feet touching down on the central catwalk next to Robin, Michael watched as the other Titans began their escape. He just stood, though, and watched as Slade's lightning tore the building apart. Gears fell from their moorings, cylinders from their bases, as the very foundations of the building rocked. The gears, some far larger than a double-decker bus, fell all over. Michael watched in horror as one of the monstrous things headed straight for where he and Robin were. It hit the catwalk, then rolled quickly towards the two escapers. The gear's weight proved too much for the catwalk to handle, though, and it broke free of its holdings. The ground bent up in front of Michael and Robin, impeding the latter's progress. Michael simply dropped to his knees, and using the thick yet fine fabric of his pants (along with a bit of his power to aid), slid up the newly made ramp and into the air. He spun midway in the air, preparing to hit the gear from the side with all his might to knock it away, when suddenly, everything inexplicably… stopped.

For Michael, it seemed like an eternity before he became aware of not only the situation, but of himself. It seemed as if he had just come into being for a moment. His brain did a full restart, then quickly grew perplexed as to why he couldn't move a single part of his body, even his eyes. Why he couldn't feel anything outside of himself. Why there was absolutely no noise at all.

_Because time has stopped._ The voice was so logical, so full of truth and reason, that Michael at first thought it came not from himself, but from elsewhere. Then, immediately afterwards, it did come from elsewhere.

_Yes, young one, it has._ Milante's angelic voice filled his consciousness suddenly and unexpectedly, the first contact from outside himself for what seemed like two eternities.

_What should I do? How much time has passed?_

_None. None at all. Not even the obscure time that now exists for only you and Raven in this… peculiar situation. As for what you should do… doesn't it seem obvious? You have the power. You have the permission. Use it._ Milante said it so bluntly, so matter-of-factly, that Michael was struck for a second about how stupid it was that he hadn't thought of that himself. Pushing outwards with his power from his mind, Michael built a psionic barrier around himself, and sighed heavily as feeling and movement returned to his body.

Dropping neatly to the ground only two feet beneath him, Michael immediately began to look around at his surroundings. His search didn't go far as he noticed Raven, high up on a falling hydraulic cylinder, suspended surreally in the air along with all the gears and debris. She looked around her, obviously trying to figure out what it was she had just done. Before Michael could call out to her, though, a voice joined the two inhabitants of the strange world.

"You might be able to stop time, birthday girl, but you can't stop me," Slade melodically called out from nowhere. As soon as the last word finished itself, a golden aura surrounded him, and he turned his head to face Raven. "You can't stop any of it really." His arms fell, and his body relaxed as he called over several suspended gears to serve as steps towards Raven. "I have to say, Raven, when I found out the truth, I was very impressed. All this time I had no idea. The power lurking inside you. The glorious destiny that awaits." Slade's hand trailed up to his chin in a thoughtful gesture. "It's always the quiet ones, isn't it?"

Michael could stand no more. Lifting himself unsteadily into the air, he began his flight towards the monster. Slade's voice continued to ring in his ear, though. "Honestly, did you think you could just blow out the candles and wish it all away?" Michael watched on as he hurtled through the air. Raven ran around the circumference of the cylinder she was on, away from the prying eye of Slade. "Today… is the day it begins."

Michael stopped abruptly in mid-flight at these words, nearly dropping himself. His mind clouded over immediately.

(Flashback)

_"We wait for the sixteenth year, young ones. We wait for the day when the Master will rise up, when his minions will walk the decadent Earth, and the beginning of their end is at hand. We wait… for the day it begins."_

Eyes wide with pain, disgust, and horror, Michael renewed his flight towards Slade. He became aware again that the walking blasphemy was still speaking, and that he was now inches away from the cowering form of Raven. "…and no matter what you wish, no matter where you go, no matter how you squirm, there is nothing you can do… to stop it."  
Raven closed her eyes and clung harder to the wall she was leaning against, fear and indecision gripping her fair features. But, as Slade lifted his hand up to grab Raven once more, Michael hit at full speed like a comet, knocking Slade through the cold, still air. Pausing for a moment to glance at Raven, Michael let out an inhuman snarl before starting again for the villain. Raven's hand grabbed his wrist, though, and Michael was forced to bring his eyes to meet the deep purple orbs. He stopped himself as he saw the fear and uncertainty in her eyes. This moment of hesitation allowed her to wrap them both in a black shroud, which resolved itself a moment later into a giant black bird. The magic bird flew straight through the ceiling of the building, then dissolved in the open air of the outside streets moments later.

Immediately upon landing, Michael began to look around at the handiwork of Raven's power. Birds lay suspended in the air, wings blurred. Pedestrians stood totally still all over, as if from some strange, three dimensional photograph. Everything looked absolutely normal. Except, of course, for the fact that nothing was moving. And that everything seemed to be shaded in blue.

Michael stood there, taking in his surroundings for a full ten seconds before belatedly realizing that Raven was standing there with him. It took him another two after that to realize that she still had his hand in a deathgrip.

"Um… I'm gonna need that later…" Raven turned, wide-eyed to look at him, then dropped his hand and quickly hiding her face in her cloak. He massaged, working the blood back into his hand. "Amazing, though, what you've done. You've stopped time for everybody but yourself, but somehow made it so that light and oxygen still moved. Utterly amazing." He turned back to face her. "How did you do it?"

"I… I don't know…" She replied weakly.

"Well, either way, we should get out of the ope- Whaaa!" Michael was cut short as a line of fire blasted across the ground he had just been standing on. Tracing his eyes back up the line, Michael saw Slade calmly standing in the middle of a ring of fire. His stance belied a mocking attitude.

"Really, child. Did you really think you could bat me away so easily? And you, Raven? Did you think it would be that easy to escape me? I have a message for you." His eyes flashed with fire. "And I do intend on delivering it, regardless of how many times I am rudely interrupted." Lifting a gloved hand, Slade shot a fiery beam at the teens. Reacting quickly, Raven raised a black wall in front of her, deflecting the mighty blast. Embers shot up, around, and under the barrier, and a sulfur-like smell filled the area.

Michael shot a furtive look at Raven. "This may not be the best time to let you know, but I sunburn easily." The telepath rolled her eyes as a sly smile appeared on Michael's face.

Using the barrier and surrounding fire for visual cover, Michael surrounded himself with white energy and flowed into the ground. Bringing only his eyes out for a moment, he spotted Slade, who was still pouring a constant wave of fire into the now-faltering black shield. Immersing himself in the concrete once more, Michael rose again directly behind his opponent. Raising both hands above his head, he brought down a power-enhanced double-hammerfist directly onto the base of Slade's spine. The fire faltered and failed as Slade slammed to the ground, ricocheted up, and flipped to his feet.

Michael's victory didn't last long as the air around him rippled again. Tearing his sword out of the sheath and guarding to his left side, he barely managed to catch Cainis' black blade, pushing the teen a full four feet to his right. Feet digging in to the rough concrete, Michael twisted his right foot around to the direction he was sliding, planted himself, and caught Cainis with a solid side kick as the demon charged. He let out a solid "Oof!" as Michael twisted his right foot again, allowing him to turn the strike into a hook kick and knock Cainis into a nearby street light. The metal rang as Cainis dented the solid pole, his sword digging a small trench in the ground as it followed after his flailing hand. Pushing off of the villain's body with his left foot, Michael spun himself around and brought the sword around in a one handed slash that cut cleanly through the pole.

Cainis, though, was much more intelligent than to share space with the holy blade's edge. He dropped to the ground as the blade sliced off only three dead white hairs. As Michael's hand whizzed past along with the sword, Cainis reached up and grabbed the back of the offending wrist. Pulling back and digging his other elbow into the small of his enemy's back, the holy blade broke free of Michael's waning grip and clattered to the ground. The pole landed heavily next to it, uprooting a chunk of asphalt from the street. Cainis pushed Michael away with a sharp kick to the backside, then stood up straight, calmly regarding his scraped and bruised opponent as dust and small debris snaked past from the adjacent battle. _Why can't I hold my own for ten damn seconds?_ Michael asked no one in particular.

"Hm. I believe I'm the one with the upper hand at the moment. It would be in your best interest to surrender. Oh, wait, I forgot." His lips parted into a vicious smile, canines glistening. "You're going to die either way, deserter." Michael looked up at the killer, just in time to see something that his enemy didn't.

He smiled back. "Forsaken."

-(Raven)-

With Michael preoccupied with his own attacker, Raven was left all alone to fend off the pyrokinetic assault of Slade alone. Using everything she had, Raven threw heavy blunt object after heavy blunt object at the masked madman, but nothing seemed to faze him. Cars melted away at his shield, and pieces of the road simply were batted away. "Why do you keep running away from it all, child? You know it's inevitable. You know what you must do." He sighed. "I guess children today just don't respect their superiors anymore." With a flick of his wrist and a wave of fire, Slade sent the robed girl flipping into the air, where she caught herself moments before hitting a store front.

"I'm not listening to you! It's not going to happen!" Raven yelled defiantly.

"Oh?" Slade asked, cocking his head to the side. "And why not?"

Raven drew both her arms back, elbows making two arrowheads behind her. "Because I won't let you." She threw everything she had at Slade, pushing him back ten times as hard as he had to her. He slammed right into an unsuspecting Cainis, and the two villains cartwheeled to the ground, a tangle of limbs.

Taking only a moment to grab his fallen sword, Michael scrambled to his feet and rushed towards Raven. Grabbing onto her wrist, he pulled her after him towards an alleyway. Unfortunately, before his foot even planted itself on the sidewalk, he was hit from behind by both fire and lightning, sending him sprawling into the alley alone. Raven was thrown upwards and away from Michael, landing on her feet a short distance away.

Turning to face the dark duo, Raven prepared herself for a fight. Instead, she saw Cainis simply strolling towards the alley, and Slade standing in front of her mockingly again. "Now, Raven, how much longer must you resist? You know what you must do. And you know what I must tell you. I will deliver my message." In the alleyway, Raven heard the sounds of swords clashing once again. "You know that you can not beat me. And you know that whatever Michael believes, no matter how hard he tries, he will never defeat Cainis." Raven stepped backwards, doubt holding her from an all out retreat. "You cannot run from your destiny forever."

Raven's eyes narrowed. "Maybe not forever, but while I still can, I'm going to." Slade grabbed both of Raven's hands as she lifted them to attack, faster than the eye could see. Pain seared through her wrists, and the fabric underneath Slade's solid grip burned up. In the alley, Michael's own gasp of pain echoed.

"No. You will hear it now."

-(Michael)-

Pain seared through Michael's body, radiating through his wrists. His scars turned an irritated red, showing the traces of the long-gone runes. His face contorted, his mind fighting against the black haze that threatened to overtake his vision.

"Do you not see how your mission is for nothing?" The demon stood over Michael, staring mockingly at the fallen warrior. "You gave up the one thing that made you who you are. You betrayed your friends. Your brothers. And now…" Cainis swung his sword, twisting it at the last second to hit Michael across the side of the head with the flat of the blade. "… I have come to punish you. To add to the pain you feel every time we come one step closer to achieving our goal. The goal we..." The sword smacked again... "once..." and again... "shared."

Michael feebly pushed himself up onto his elbows and knees, setting his hand upon his sword. "You… think you know… everything. You know… nothing…" Frowning, Cainis kicked Lissendar out of Michael's grip.

"I think you lack the truth of the situation, mortal."

Michael smiled. "I think you do… why don't you ask Milante some time?"

Cainis' face twisted in rage, his sword raising to rain fury down on the teen. He held this posture for only a moment, though, as he reestablished his self control. His body deflated, and he let his sword arm drop. His face, though, still held most of its anger.

"Don't ever mention that name again." His eyes narrowed further. "Ever."

Michael, still wincing in pain from the beating staggered to his feet in front of Cainis. Holding out a hand slowly, he caught Lissendar as it raced towards him. Cainis stared coldly as the jewel in the center of the hilt glowed emerald for a moment before Michael let out a sigh of relief. The teen's wounds now soothed, he stood up straighter and squared his fighting stance again. "Shall we?"

Learning from his past mistakes, Michael kept both hands on his sword as he parried a vicious slash to his right and used the momentum to once more slash at the demon's head. Cainis ducked again, much to Michael's satisfaction. Boot met solar plexus as Michael's low round house kick threw Cainis back against the wall of the alley. Not wasting a moment, Michael kicked off the ground as soon as his foot touched and nimbly used the wall opposite Cainis to ricochet himself at the enemy. His sword missed by bare millimeters as Cainis rolled out of the way, bringing his sword up to cut a shallow groove in Michael's right arm.

Pain fought its way towards his brain, but Michael knew that he couldn't let it distract him this time. Landing almost awkwardly on his left hand, he threw himself airborne once more to somersault over Cainis' head and deliver a spinning slash against his opponent's guard. The guard shifted to a vertical position behind the back to deflect another strike as Michael landed on the ground behind Cainis and struck again.

The fight stretched longer and longer as the game of sword tag continued. Small cuts began to appear in many places on both combatants, oozing blood. Suddenly, the swords connected violently as the two attacked at the same moment. They both fought for control of the lock, pushing with all their might. Sweat beaded up on Michael's forehead, and both his and Cainis' arms began to tremble from the exertion.

"You cannot... hold on to this much longer... Michael..." Cainis taunted, smiling wickedly. "You know that you are no match... for me. Not with... urgh... not with the darkness inside of you."

"There is no more darkness!" Michael screamed, his eyes narrowing. "You don't know what you're talking about!" Pushing with all his might, Michael launched Cainis back into the wall.

"Hah! You don't even know how to control your own anger. How do you expect to defeat your past?" The remark hit home as Michael made a wild charge at Cainis, hitting with his shoulder and cracking the concrete behind. Forgetting about his sword altogether, Michael thrust hard with his hand and grabbed a handful of shirt. Cainis smiled as he was ricocheted off of the ground into the air. "Is that all, traitor? Show me what you've really got!"

An inhuman cry raised itself from Michael's lips, bouncing off the walls and echoing off into his soul. Pulling with all his might, he rent his sword directly through Cainis' midsection. A thin trail of blood traveled up the wall across from the sword.

The two stood, completely frozen, for several seconds. In his subconscious, Michael was aware of the distant sounds of battle raging elsewhere in the silent city. His shoulders began to heave as his body seemed to remember the strain it was just put through. Bringing his eyes up, Michael searched Cainis' face.

The wicked smile returned.

"Now. Doesn't that make you feel better?" Michael watched in horror as not only Cainis' skin healed itself, but the thread in his clothes mended as well. "Brings back memories, doesn't it?" Michael simply stared on, dumbfounded. "Ah, but look at the time. It seems our little session will have to come to a close for today." Michael's face dropped in confusion as he moved hesitantly into another guard. He was too slow, unfortunately, as Cainis' gloved hand caught him by the collar. "Another time then?"

A flick of the wrist, and suddenly Michael was able to inspect the top floors of the nearest 40-story office building very closely. A 40-story office building that had quite strangely become much more attached to its neighbor just a few moments before...

-(Raven)-

Panic seemed the only word appropriate to describe Raven's state of mind at this point, and in some ways, it didn't even begin to cover her emotions. Behind her, Slade blasted his way out of the two buildings Raven had just smashed him between, and was gaining on her at an appalling rate. Nothing she threw at him even fazed him; cars, trucks, light posts, offices, everything seemed too little to hurt the villain.

Raven raced on, dodging in between the crevices made by the tall skyscrapers of the inner Jump City, now not even bothering to throw anything at her stalker. A black aura surrounded her as she poured more and more of her magic into speeding her farther and farther towards an unsure destination. Anywhere but there.

After a few moments, Raven's strength began to shoot her forward, and as she rounded another corner, she found that Slade had been lost in the speed boost. Disregarding her surroundings, Raven dove into the nearest building, desperate to hide.

After carefully closing the gigantic doors behind her, she let her head droop and her eyes stare at the floor as she walked down an aisle. Her strength suddenly failing her, she reached out to grab... _A pew?_ Finally taking the time to look around, Raven noticed that she was in a grand cathedral, probably the one built long ago when Jump City was first built. Stained glass windows surrounded her, and at the end of the aisles of pews, a heavily ornate Jesus on a wooden cross hung from the wall. Gripping her support, she felt the old stained oak subtly creak with age.

"Glad you could make it. I've been waiting for you."

Raven nearly jumped clean out of her skin as a gentle voice echoed out from the darkness near the podium at the front of the church. Turning startled eyes to the raised platform, she witnessed an incredible sight. The shadows slipped away from the dais as light engulfed the entire church. Standing regally was what Raven could only describe as a male angel, Spiked red/blonde hair fluttered behind him to an invisible wind, and white bird wings hung royally from his back, arched high behind him. His angular face wore a gentle expression, his eyes relaxed in an inviting stare. His eyes glowed gently and faintly from within with a golden light.

"Who are you?" Raven demanded bluntly. "What are you?"

The creature chuckled lightly. "Don't you think it's obvious? I would have thought the wings would betray the name of my kind to you." Lifting off the floor, he floated himself down to the same level of Raven. "As to your first question, my name is Milante. It is a pleasure to meet you." Milante bowed deeply, his wings flaring out behind him. "Perhaps you've heard of me?" A memory of a light barely at the edge of her sight came to her, from when she had searched Michael's room. Also, a journal entry. Yes, she had heard of him.

"What do you want?"

Milante's eyebrow rose bemusedly as he replied, "Oh, simply to chat. It can get fairly boring simply staring at the inside of a room all day and night."

Raven's eyebrow took it's turn to raise, this time quizzically. "Why would you be stuck in the room?"

"It just hasn't been time for me to come out until now." A grin approached his lips. "And I can't say I don't enjoy the music."

Raven's eyes narrowed in frustration. "Why are you here? Why do you want to talk to me?" She shifted her feet impatiently, favoring a bruised right leg.

"I'm here to tell a story. A history lesson, if you will." He smiled bemusedly for a moment. "Well... not exactly tell, but you'll see what I mean." At the sound of footsteps outside, Milante began to move forward. His left hand reached out to Raven. "You won't have time to look at this now. But it will explain a great amount."

Holding out her hand, Raven caught the object as it fell out of the angel's hand. It was a jewel, much the same in shape as the jewel in Michael's sword, but as small as the gem worn on Raven's forehead. It was warm to the touch.

Looking up, once again confused, Raven had time to utter, "Wha...?" before she saw Milante fade, a couple dozen feathers circling the area briefly before fluttering to the ground and disappearing as well. The light retreated with him.

"Well that was... illuminating."

Abruptly, the doors behind her creaked open, and a familiar voice called out. "Raven?"

-(Michael)-

The door creaked inwards agonizingly slow, filling the huge sanctuary with its slightly rusted racket. Michael winced, both from the sound and from his now-bruised left arm. Thin trails of blood trickled down from numerous small scratches on his body, and his forehead bore a small bump.

_All in all... nope, not feeling great._

Spotting Raven, he called out her name and watched as she turned to face him. Her face held the last vestige of a mysterious look, gone in but a moment. Michael shrugged it off as unimportant to the current situation. "I'd just like to say... This hasn't been a fun day. Can we kill them now?" he asked, his voice weary.

Raven leaned against one of the pews, desperate for any rest she could get at the moment. "I doubt it. They're too strong together. And Slade has... changed."

"Yeah, I thought it was a bit strange that he could suddenly throw hellfire around." Michael slid down the opposite pew.

"Hellfire? How do you know it's that?"

Michael let out a sigh of relief as he settled himself on the floor. "Some of the... others in the Cult were able to summon and use it, but not very well. It wasn't exactly an easy talent to master." His back cracked as he leaned forward and stretched. "Oh, yeah. That's gonna hurt for a while..."

Raven found a spot on the floor to become interested in. After a few moments, she spoke up again. "What... what should we do?" Her eyes met his. "We can't just keep running."

Looking thoughtfully around, Michael replied, "Well... I think their mission right now is to just deliver a message. Cainis already delivered his to me... so I guess all that's left is for Slade to give you his."

"But... that's exactly what they want." Exasperation was barely evident in her voice.

"I know. But... sometimes you do have to give your enemy what they want. If just for a moment. Hope for an opening. Or an insight on what they're planning next."

Raven contemplated the floor again. "What do you think the message is?"

An eyebrow rose. "You don't know your own prophecy?"

"I... I do. It's just... I've wished so hard that it wouldn't... I almost believed it for a while... but here I am, about to be... about to do... unspeakable things." Raven wiped her arm against her face.

Michael frowned, then reached into his pocket, pulling out an item in a brown wrapper. Opening the chocolate bar, he broke it in two and offered half to Raven. She simply stared at him. "What? It's energy. If this keeps up, we're gonna need all the energy we can get." Michael set the half into Raven's palm. Eyeing it for a moment, she took a bite.

"So. What's our next move, then?" Michael asked.

Taking another bite, the pale Titan thought for a moment. "What exactly do you know about me?"

Downing the last of his chocolate, Michael leaned back, putting his weight on his hands behind him. Taking a moment to chew and swallow, he gathered his words. "Well... lots of things. Like who your father is, where your power comes from... even the original plan for what was going to happen today."

"Oh?"

"Well... just be glad the Cult got broken up before this day. It would have been quite a bit more problematic if there were over a hundred cultists shooting at you, too."

"So... why did you join them in the first place?"

"Well, I used to tell myself that no one understood me. I guess it was mostly because I never really fit in with anyone at my school. I was always a bit of an outcast, a loner. I used to make friends with the kids no one else would talk to, trying to be nice to them. I put everything into those friendships. I didn't want them to feel like I did, y'know?" Michael pushed himself forward again, wrapping his arms around his knees and drawing them close. "But... they all kinda left me later on. Some moved away, others moved on to other friends... Raul passed away. He was always a real good friend... anyway, after being friends with them for so long, I was viewed as sort of a... well, a freak by my classmates. And even as we all grew older, and my old friends stopped being viewed as outcasts, I still remained a target. So, I switched schools." Michael paused for a moment, then laughed. "Didn't take me long to fall in with the bad crowd, really."

Raven stopped nibbling the chocolate for a moment. "So... what? You started doing drugs or something?"

"Heh. No. A few of the guys I hung around did that, but I stayed away. Part of my upbringing, thankfully. No, the problem was the fact that I felt so lost, and alone. So Zach, my friend in high school, introduced me to the Cult. He'd been a member for about a year by then. It kinda felt like... a home, of sorts. I mean, I had my parents, and they loved me, but... I just never really paid attention to that. And so there I had this new source of attention. Somewhere I belonged." Michael's head rolled back. "God, I was an idiot."

Raven tilted her head to the side, a sly smirk on her face. "Aren't you not supposed to use His name in vain? Isn't that one of your rules?"

"Er... yeah... it is... Um. Still working on that..." Michael replied sheepishly. "Anyways, I-" Michael cut off abruptly as he heard someone just outside the door. "Aw, crap!" His sword leaped out of its sheath into his waiting hand as he shot to his feet. Raven wasn't far behind. "Guess who."

-(Raven)-

Dust swirled dramatically inward as the great doors of the church flew open with a heavy slam, shaking the walls. Staring through her fingers, raised to protect her eyes, Raven beheld Slade, arms together, ready for another attack. Michael moved past her, setting himself in a defensive position before her. Gathering energy between his palms, Slade released a burning gale upon the innards of the church, intending to set it ablaze. Caught by the full wave of malevolent energy, Michael flew up over Raven's head with a grunt and landed several pews away before fire enveloped his position. Fear gripping her heart, the telepath took one more terrified look around the church sanctuary before laying her eyes once more upon her assailant, hunched over his handiwork.

"Its just you and me now, kid." His head cocked to the side. "Are you finished running now, or must we play this pointless game of cat and mouse all evening?" Raven barely let Slade finish his sentence before she had bolted for the nearest side door at full speed. "Well. I guess we do," she heard him say.

Turning several corners and pushing through one more door, Raven emerged into a side alley next to the church and ducked out of the way just in time to avoid a withering column of flame meant for her. Ignoring the melting brick next to her, Raven ran for the open street mere feet away from her just as a flaming wall blocked her progress and an annoyed Slade walked up behind her. "You're making this much more difficult than this needs to be. Why not just surrender to your fate, child?"

With nowhere else to turn, Raven enveloped herself in the black miasma of her magic and flew through the burning barrier behind her. The fire was enough to make quick work of her remaining energy, and her protective field failed seconds after leaving. Cringing, Raven tried desperately to concentrate on continuing on, but it was becoming harder and harder to channel any sort of power whatsoever. Losing focus, her flight speed began to decrease as well. "I can't... I can't give up... I have to keep go- UNGH!" Her sentence ended breathlessly as Slade plowed into her back at full speed, sending whatever air she had in her lungs violently out. His momentum carried them much farther, and all Raven could do was try to maintain consciousness as the world began to swim before her.

Waking up a moment later, she realized that she had landed rather hard on Jump City's most prominent radio tower. Weakly, she pushed herself up, trying with all her might to escape the grasp of Slade. A mere three steps away found her again in Slade's hold as his grip tore at her cloak, ripping the back of her jumpsuit clean off along with it. She fell to the ground as pain enveloped her entire back. Slade's hard voice cut through, now angry or determined, she couldn't tell. "What you have concealed you will become!" Turning on the ground, Raven tried to level a defiant stare, but all she could manage was an involuntary gasp and a wide-eyed look. "You have run out of choices, little girl."

Gathering all the energy she could possibly muster, down to her very core, Raven threw herself to her feet and lunged at the dark messenger. Her attack proved futile once again, however, as Slade caught her wrist and sent yet more pain blasting across her body. "What do you hope to prove by opposing that which you were conceived for? What makes you think you can break a prophecy set in motion centuries before you were born? For how mature you try to act, Raven, all you are is a naïve little child, without anyone to run to."

Tears now streamed down the gothic girl's face, mirroring the flood of pain that had become her entire consciousness. Crying out in agony, she felt the last of her energy flee her explosively, the runes blasting outwards to expose themselves through her rapidly dissolving clothes. Her scalp itched, and through tight eyelids she could sense the meager light outside waning, then fail. She fell to her knees as her captor released, and held herself to try to dam the pain. A muffled sound reached her ears, and after a while she realized that Slade was still talking. Willing herself back to some semblence of control, Raven opened her eyes, and fell back in shock at what she saw.

The pain she had felt on the inside had poured itself gleefully upon the landscape surrounding, twisting and tearing it until it looked a pale shadow of its previous splendor. Buildings lay in ruins, torn asunder as if by sheer waves of despair. Lava flowed out of every pore in the city, staining the sky with it's crimson glow. Citizens of the city stood frozen not in time, but in stone, their faces captured forever in a look of agony. In the distance, Raven's eyes fell on the Titan Tower, crumpled and defeated upon it's lonely rock in a sea of fire. Somehow, even at this distance, she knew that the stone figures at it's base were her friends.

Only one word escaped her mouth. "No..."

"Yeeees." Slade's voice seemed to come alive. "Look at it. Drink it in." His gaze did just that, turning to look over the city. "Behold the world you are destined to create!"

"NO!" Raven's head throbbed as her entire being tried to reject her surroundings. "I won't do it!" Hands gripped her throbbing head, and she realized that they were her own. She removed them slowly, stepping back. "This is just a VISION! It can't be real!"

Slade's hands gripped her arms from behind once more, but thankfully agony did not accompany them. "This is the future, little one. The future you were destined to create the moment you were conceived in your mother's womb. From the beginning..." He drew in his breath, then let it out appreciatively. "... this is what you were meant for. And nothing can stop it." His voice turned icy. "This will come to pass. I will make sure of it."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Raven blacked out again as it seemed the entire world flashed with lightning. Pain tore at her head, threatening to break it open. Her weak frame shook in the wind as floor after floor rushed past her, keeping her company in her descent to what she hoped to be a quick end. She closed her eyes in anticipation of the cold...

...And felt warmth take hold of her, wrapping around her and carrying her to safety. Azure eyes fluttered open, slowly adjusting to the idea that they would continue to see. Feeling returned to her body, and the warmth transformed into a gentle cradle of two arms, holding her up. The face in front of her swam into focus a moment later, and she found herself staring into worried green eyes. A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of her lip. "A little... late, aren't you?"

Michael ignored her question, but smiled back, an unfathomable look clouding his eyes. "Let's go home."

-(Michael)-

Finishing the bindings on the last bandage he was applying, Michael leaned his head against the window in front of him, feeling every bit as drained as he knew that he looked. He turned as he heard Cyborg's footsteps at his door.

"How's Raven?"

"A little banged up, but she'll be good to go with a little bit'a rest. How 'bout you? How are you holding up?"

Michael turned back to the window, and the rain that had begun falling a moment before. "I'm... I'll be fine. I'm just a little shaken, that's all." He turned a shaky smile to his new mechanical friend.

"Good. Good. Well... I've got some news for you. A guy named Ant called. Said he was your pastor."

Michael's eyes raised expectantly. "Yes... go on..."

"He said... he said that he'd found the one you were looking for."

Even though he'd been prepared for it, he didn't fully believe it. "What?"

"Ant said he found Kayt."

-----------------------------------------

Well, I guess that's finally done. That... um... that took a while... more than a year...

But, dear fans, do know that I do fully plan to finish this fanfic. I've got a lot of thought put into this, and I really do want to see it through. Well, now that I'll be getting four hours of sleep, I think I'll just leave it at this. Remember to read and review, because reading brings fun, and reviewing brings virtual chocolate chip cookies!


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